The Bounds of Friendship
by A Christy
Summary: NS COMPLETE: Sara has finally recognized she's in a rut, and starts to try to find her way out... with some help.
1. Default Chapter

"That was some serious attitude. What's her dealio?"

Greg watched the quickly departing back of Sara Sidle. Nick shrugged.

"When it comes to Sara, your guess is as good as mine."

"All I said was I wasn't doing lab work today and she freaked."

"Who knows, man? Sometimes we just forget that you're one of us now."

"Why Nick... I'm _touched_. You just admitted that I'm like you."

"_Whoh_ now. I didn't say you were like _me_. I said you're one of us... As in a _crime scene investigator_. There's a mighty big distance between the two."

Greg just grinned as he continued down the hall towards the exit. Nick entered the CSI labs and Grissom looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Nice of you to join us, Nick."

Nick thought about explaining his lateness but decided to skip it.

_Whatever_.

"Everyone else has their assignments. You need to catch up with Sara and check out a male DB found near a golf course."

_Great_.

He started off down the corridor in search of his tempermental colleague.

Normally a fairly positive person, Nick Stokes was having a particularly crappy start to his day.

He'd had problems with his SUV on the way to work, and he'd just barely made it into the LVPD parking lot before it had died on him completely. He'd run the keys over to the motor pool, hoping it was nothing major. He hated being without his own wheels.

As he'd sprinted to the criminalistics wing, he'd managed to pour most of the contents of his coffee cup down the front of his new shirt. He'd quickly changed, but hadn't quite made it to the shift assignment allocation. Grissom's comment had just been another nail in the coffin of a shitty start to the day.

_And now_, _working with Sidle_. _And Sidle in a bad mood apparently_. _Excellent_.

He wandered down the corridors, keeping his eye out for the familiar brunette.

_OK_, _Sara_. _Where are you_? _Let's get this over with_.

* * *

As shift ended, Sara looked at the ground, frowning.

"I uh... I'm sorry, Nick. I shouldn't be taking my bad mood out on you."

He blew out a lengthy sigh. "It's fine, Sara. Don't worry about it."

As much as his lack of concern troubled him, Nick was beginning to find that he just couldn't care less about Sara's problem _du jour_. She was always in a bad mood these days it seemed, and whenever he tried to get her to talk about it, she blew him off.

_So why even bother_?

He turned to go, and Sara was surprised to find herself disappointed. Of all the people she worked with, Nick was aways the most... well, _concerned_. Maybe it was because he came from a big family or something, but he seemed to always be the peacemaker, the one who wanted everybody to be happy. And he hadn't even bothered to ask her what was wrong.

She started to wonder if she had finally slipped so far into her neverending bad moods of late that even Nick no longer felt the need to bother with her.

She frowned as he left the locker room without so much as a backward glance.

* * *

She made her way out to her SUV lost in thought. How long had she been like this? She couldn't even recall when things had started on the downward spiral.

_How did I get to this point_?

She leaned against her door and frowned.

_I can't even remember the last time I was genuinely happy_.

But when did it all start going to shit? She ran through the list of her past few year's failings and started to mentally tick them off. First, there'd been the failed relationships: Hank had used her and Grissom had rejected her. And these letdowns had obviously contributed to her brief brush with excessive drinking and then the DUI charge that she'd narrowly escaped.

She exhaled noisily and reached into her bag, seraching for her keys. She jumped as a voice spoke up behind her.

"Sara, I.... Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

She turned to look at Nick. "Um, that's OK. What's up?"

"I was hoping I could score a ride home? I don't think I can't sit around for two hours while the motor pool finds me a loaner until mine is fixed." He let out a loud sigh. "I just want to go home and sleep."

She looked at him sympathetically. "Sure, Nick. No problem."

They drove out of the parking lot and Sara felt uncomfortable as the silence stretched out. She cleared her throat.

"Uh, Nick?"

He didn't even turn his head. "Yeah?"

"You OK? You seem a little... Well you don't seem like yourself today."

His lip curled up in a half-smile. "It's cool. I've just been having one of those days. I think it pretty much started when I woke up, and it just went downhill from there."

She nodded, grinning."Gotcha. I'm glad it's nothing serious."

He smiled. "Yeah. I'll live."

"Um, listen, I was going to grab a bite to eat before I went home... Are you interested?" She found that she didn't want to eat alone today for some reason. It seemed like she spent a lot of her time outside work alone these days, and maybe it was time to try to change that.

Her heart sank a little when he didn't reply right away. She decided to let him off the hook.

"Nick, if you're too tired, I don't mind driving you h-"

"I think I could eat." He nodded slightly.

She laughed. "Yeah, you usually _can_."

He smirked at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She kept laughing. "I've just never been able to understand how you can stay so fit, the way you eat."

He grinned. "Just lucky, I guess."

She snorted. "_Damned_ lucky, I'd say." She looked at him from the corner of her eye. "And possibly some time at the gym?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, maybe." He continued to grin. "Just drive, Sidle. I'm starving."

"You got it."

"And Sara?"

"Mmmm?"

"Stop flirting with me."

She laughed. _Ah_, _there's the old Nick that I remember_.

"Sorry. Won't happen again, I promise."

He grinned, although for some reason he felt vaguely disappointed at the thought that she might be serious about putting a halt to the flirting. He'd always sort of enjoyed it, but they'd seemed to have cut back on it as of late. And he was just now realizing how much he'd missed it.

He gave himself a mental shake. _It's just Sara_,_ man_. _Whatever_.

Still, while they'd never been best buddies exactly, he'd always considered them friends at least. And Sara just hadn't been herself in a long time.Unfortunately, everytime he asked her what was wrong, she'd usually clam up. To say Sara was a private person was something of an understatement.

They pulled into the cafe parking and made their way inside. Since it was just the two of them, they grabbed a small table near the window.

Sara sipped her coffee and watched the early risers meandering by outside. Nick watched her, wondering if he should take another shot at trying to figure out the _enigma_ that was Sara Sidle. She turned to catch him staring at her and she smiled nervously. For some reason, this made him smile back and she felt herself blushing.

"What? Why are you staring at me?"

He chewed the inside of his lip for a moment and then decided to take a shot. "I was just wondering..."

"What?"

"What's your _story_, Sara?"

She frowned. "What... What do you mean, exactly?" She stared back at him.

"I just... We've been working together now, what? Like, 5 years?"

"Yeah, almost."

"5 years. 5 years and I really don't know a lot about you, Sara."

She shifted uncomfortably. "Well, what do you want to know? Cuz there really isn't-"

"Sara. _Come on_." He raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure there's a _lot _to know, so don't even go there. In fact..." He chewed at his lip again and she felt her back tensing up.

_Why is he asking me this_?

He went on. "It's just that... Well, you know how you said I wasn't myself today?"

She nodded.

"Well, I don't think _you've_ been yourself for quite a while now. Or at least, I'm assuming that the woman I first met all those years ago was closer to the real Sara Sidle than the one I've been seeing lately."

She looked up suddenly as the waitress brought their food to the table, grateful for the interruption. She smiled her thanks and picked up her toasted tomato and cheese sandwich, biting into it quickly. Maybe if she chewed slowly, she could avoid speaking for the rest of breakfast...

Nick was watching her again, amused.

_She's not going to answer me_. _I'm not surprised_.

He sighed and took a bite of his scrambled eggs.

_Oh well_. _Nothing ventured_, _nothing gained I guess_.

But for some reason, he felt more than a little let down this time. He chalked it up to the shitty day he'd had and tried to concentrate on his breakfast.


	2. Chapter 2

Sara ruminated as she muched on her home fries.

_What's wrong with me_? _Earlier,_ _I was disappointed because Nick didn't ask me what was wrong_, _and now I'm trying to get out of answering him when he _does_ ask_.

The problem was, she didn't know _how_ to answer him.

She couldn't seem to pinpoint just when things had begun to go downhill for her. Her childhood had been far from a rosey picture, but the more she got to know the people she worked with, the more she realized her story wasn't unusual in it's dysfunctionality. And god knows she saw some pretty awful things on the job. They _all_ did. And she was constantly amazed at the things people did to each other, and that included to their loved ones. So _yeah_; maybe she'd had a troubled youth, but then who _didn't_ these days?

And _sure_; there'd also been the crappy relationship issues, but again... Who _didn't _have those problems? So then... _What_? What was her problem?

She looked over at Nick and spoke quietly. "I don't know, Nick.

Her statement had come out of the blue. He looked back at her in question. "You don't know _what_?"

"I don't know what happened to the Sara Sidle I used to be. I haven't got a clue."

He felt his brows go up in wonder.

He'd expected denial, misdirection...even the earlier avoidance she'd shown already. But _honesty_? That had come out of left-field, and for a second he didn't know how to respond.

Slowly, he began to smile and she felt herself grinning back. She couldn't seem to help herself- His smile was contagious. He rubbed his chin in thought.

"OK, let's see here. We're both _incredibly_ talented criminalists from the number two ranked lab in the country..."

She laughed lightly, nodding. "True enough."

"So, why don't we see if we can figure out what happened to Sara Sidle, of Las Vegas, Nevada."

She shifted again, her nerves sneaking back up on her. She wasn't sure she was ready to be under the microscope all of a sudden. Nick frowned and reached across the table and grabbed her hand. She was surprised by his gentle touch and looked up at him in mild surprise.

"Sara, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... I shouldn't be making light of things. If... If you don't want to talk about it, I understand." His small smile was so kind she felt a tiny spark of warmth in the region of her heart. He continued speaking.

"I just thought... You seemed like you might be ready to talk about things. I'm sorry if I was out of line."

She looked down at his hand and frowned slightly. He started to pull it away and she felt panicked at the idea of losing contact. She squeezed his fingers and it was his turn to look up surprised.

"I... It's OK, Nick. I just... I just don't know what to say. It seems like one day I woke up in a bad mood and it never really left me, you know? At least, not completely..." Her words drifted off and she looked over his shoulder, suddenly a million miles away. He waited patiently for her to continue.

She sighed and returned her gaze to his. "I guess I've just never been very good at getting past things... I... I have difficulty letting go sometimes." She swallowed, uncertain of how he would respond. She couldn't remember the last time she'd opened herself up like this to anyone. Maybe she never had.

Nick's smile was gentle once more. "I _know_, Sara. I have trouble with that myself sometimes. I mean, it's not easy... Especially when you deal with the things we deal with every day." He shrugged slightly.

She looked at him so earnestly, he was momentarily taken aback. "Then how do you do it, Nick? How do you stay so positive all the time?"

His grin was somewhat self-deprecating. "Sara, I'm not always positive. You know that. I mean, take _today_ for instance-"

"Nick, the occasional bad day is normal. And the only reason I noticed was because it's so out of character."

He smirked again. "I don't know what to tell you, Sar. I just deal with it, I guess. I accept that things can be shitty sometimes and then I try to figure out how I can make them better. It doesn't always work. Sometimes you can't fix everything... But you still have to try. That's all we can do in the end." He gave her a grin. "I'm not Superman, but I do what I can."

Sara smiled, nodding. "You do pretty well, Nick."

He was surprised to note the shimmer of pleasure he experienced at her words. He smiled back. "Thanks."

She'd almost forgotten her hand still lay in his, until she felt his fingers massaging the back softly. Again, a tendril of warmth seemed to slip up her arm to rest somewhere in the vicinity of her chest.

"Uh, Nick... I..." She felt awkward and sighed heavily. He mistook her tension for discomfort and slowly pulled his hand away. She felt instantly disheartened at the loss of physical connection.

He smiled gently once more. "Sara, I think maybe you just... You need to learn how to let go of things. You're a deep thinker, but I also think you're a deep _feeler_, whether you want to admit it or not." His head tilted fractionally as he continued to observe her. "I know some cases hit you harder than others... I know because it happens to me too. It's hard to take sometimes." He leaned forward a little, staring straight into her eyes. "But we have to deal with it and then move on. If you don't, then you're just going to end up crushed beneath the weight of it all."

She nodded, unable to look away from his intense gaze. He went on. "And I'm worried you're already halfway there... _Aren't you_?"

His brows furrowed slightly in concern and she finally looked away. But she knew he was right. Again, she couldn't tell exactly when she'd started to lose control, but she was drowning in it now. And she couldn't take much more of it; Nick was right about that.

"Sara, do you... Do you have many friends? Outside work, I mean?"

She grimaced at the quiet concern behind his tone. She knew everyone thought she spent her nights at home with her police scanner and her forensics journals.

"Yeah I... I have a few..."

The thing is, she hadn't always appeared to be so anti-social. It was true that she'd always been very focussed on her goals... She'd had to overcome a lot to escape her troubled childhood and get into Harvard. And then she'd had to work her ass off to do as well as she had, but while she'd been there, she'd had a core group of close friends and they'd gone to parties and done all the usual things kids at university did.

But once she'd moved to Las Vegas, the job had taken up more and more of her time until it was all she thought about.

A few years ago, a case had awoken her to the probable future for an introverted workaholic, and she'd made an effort to try and get out and meet people, and learn to socialize again. She'd joined a wine club and a hiking club, hoping to expand her horizons while she met some new people, and for the most part it had been successful. Maybe they were more _aquaintances_ than real friends, but it was something at least.

But there'd been something else that had kept her from getting too attached to other people.

She frowned as she thought about her fruitless attraction to Grissom. Even after she'd overheard him basically admit that he had regretted having to pass up the chance to be with her, it had still hurt that she hadn't been important enough for him to take the chance. With Grissom, the job always had to come _first_. She used to admire that in him: his _dedication _to science, and to the job. But now, she wasn't so sure. And she was beginning to realize that she was emulating her old mentor a little too closely after all: Her work had become her life once more... to the exclusion of everything else.

Nick caught the change in her mood, as subtle as the shift had been.

"You OK, Sar?"

She had almost forgotten he was there for a moment, but then she smiled ruefully. "Yeah, I think I am. Or at least... I _will _be."

_Acknowledging the problem is the first step_...

He smiled in encouragement. "Yeah? That's good to hear."

She nodded. "Yeah. I... I've spent so much time trying to make something of myself. I've worked so hard to be good at my job and to... Well to try to make a difference and now I...." She shook her head, uncertain how to say what she meant.

Then Nick surprised her by summing it up perfectly for her. "You've worked your butt off to get where you are, and now that you're there, you find that something's missing?"

She looked at him in amazement, nodding. "Yeah. That's it, exactly."

He smiled gently and she was pleased when he grabbed her hand once more. "We all feel like that sometimes, Sara. You..."

He broke off, thinking for a moment. "You have to try and decide what's really important in life before it's too late. You're amazing at your job. You really are." She flushed slightly, but he continued. "You _are_ making a difference, too. Sometimes, when the bad guys get away with it, you're going to feel like shit. It's impossible to avoid. But other days, you're making that difference- You really are."

He smiled warmly at her and squeezed her fingers gently. "But you just have to remember that, at the end of the day it's still just a _job_. Especially in our line of work. No matter how good at it you are, and how much you love doing it, you need to be able to let it go when you walk off shift at the end of the day. You need to exist outside the lab and the crime scenes, or it's going to eat you up."

She knew what he was saying was true, but she also knew it was like an addiction. It was so hard to stop thinking about work when she went home...

_But maybe that's because there's nothing else in your life to distract you_.

She swallowed heavily at the thought. She tapped her foot nervously under the table and looked down at Nick's hand, still holding hers.

_I need_... _I need friends_. _I need people_.

All at once, she experienced a new feeling welling up inside her: anticipation. She began to feel an excitement building as she opened her mind up to idea of new possibilities, new experiences. It had been too long since she'd thought about doing anything besides working hard and being the best at her job. But now she realized it wasn't enough. And it was time to change that.

She smiled at Nick and squeezed his hand. "You're right, Nick. You're absolutely right."

He raised his brows, smiling. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I... I need to learn how to have fun again... I need... I need a _life_.

He laughed softly. "Yeah, you _do_. And you deserve it, Sara. You work hard. _Too_ hard. You deserve to relax and have fun once in a while."

She nodded. "Yeah... Yeah, I do."

Buoyed by a sense of liberation she pulled her hand from his and leaned back in her chair, tilting her head slightly in question.

"So, um... Are you doing anything after shift tomorrow, Nick?"


	3. Chapter 3

Nick was surprised... at first.

And the then a flush spread across Sara's cheeks and he felt himself begin to grin uncontrollably at her obvious discomfort.

"Why _Sara_... Are you asking me on a date?"

She caught the amused sparkle in his eye and shook her head, laughing lightly. She tried to recover the situation.

"C'mon Nick. You know better than that." She tried to shake it off, embarrassed at what she'd inadvertantly implied with her question. "What I _meant _was, if you don't have anything better to do, maybe we could hang out; do something fun. Like friends."

Nick watched her, mirth still overflowing. "Friends, huh?" He flashed her a knowing smile.

She shook her head, smirking. "Somebody sure has a healthy ego."

He laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, actually, it's funny you should mention it. I am doing something tomorrow with a buddy of mine."

Sara tried not to frown, but couldn't avoid the surge of disappointment that slid through her. She knew it was a last minute request, but she wasn't sure she'd have the nerve to try to bolster her social life like that again. She was feeling brave right now, but who knew about tomorrow.

"Nick, it's no big deal, really. I just thought-"

"-But I don't see why you couldn't join us." He looked at her appraisingly."That is, if you're up for it."

Her brows raised at his tone. She sensed a distinct challenge behind his words.

"What do you mean '_If I'm up for it'_?" She eyed him warily, but interested nonetheless. "Up for _what_?"

"Meet me at my place tomorrow after shift and find out."

She grinned at him, intrigued. "Yeah? What should I wear?"

"Something sporty."

The waitress dropped off their bill and Nick snatched it up as they stood. He smiled at Sara devilishly.

"I'll get it, Sar. After all, it may be the last chance I get to treat you. _Ever_." His grin stretched even wider and she laughed nervously.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to live to regret this?"

Nick shrugged and continued to smile at her enigmatically.

* * *

Sara had dropped Nick at home and was annoyed to find that she'd been unable to pry any information out of him during the drive. He'd simply smiled and shook his head slightly.

"If you don't trust me, Sidle, you don't have to come."

She'd spent the remainder of her waking hours at home trying to figure out what their plans were, but her only clue was the sporty wardrobe. Oh, and that clearly more than two people could be involved, since Nick's friend was also going. The possibilities were endless. Especially since she had no idea what Nick did in his spare time. It was at times like this that she wished she'd gotten to know her co-workers a little better.

_Especially Nick_...

Uncertain of why that thought had sprung unbidden to her mind, she quickly shrugged it off. She was trying to solve this little puzzle, and he was the key right now, that was all.

Still, she couldn't deny that she was excited about the whole thing. It seemed like forever since she'd gone out and done something spontaneous and fun... At least she hoped it would be fun.

She smiled. Well, if nothing else, Nick was certainly outgoing, so he undoubtably knew how to have fun. She would just count herself lucky that he was letting her tag along.

She'd picked him up before shift the next night and had immediately begun assaulting him with delving questions, but once again she was denied. She felt like a kid on Christmas Eve, trying to figure out what was in the big box with her name on it. But try as she might, Nick wouldn't budge.

When shift finally ended, Sara entered the locker room to find Nick just shutting his locker, ready to leave. He gave her the same smartass grin he'd been flashing her all night whenever their paths had crossed.

"Well, Sar... It's the moment of truth. I'll wait at my place until 8:30. If you don't show up by then, I'll know you chickened out."

She straightened her shoulders and whacked him lightly with her notepad.

"Oh I'll be _there_, studly. Don't you worry."

He laughed and nodded. "Good for you, Sar. Good for you."

A smirk covered the fact that he was secretly more than a little impressed that she was going for it. He'd never taken Sara for much of a risk taker. From what he'd seen, she had to identify, quantify and qualify before stepping into anything new. Still... He smiled encouragingly.

"I'll see you soon then."

As he left the room, Sara watched his back nervously.

_Oh man_. _What have I gotten myself into_?

* * *

"Um, Nick...?"

"Sara, for the hundredth time, it's gonna _hold_. I promise you." Nick shook his head, grinning partially in amusement, partially from exasperation. "Keith and I weigh a lot more than you and we're using the same harnesses. You'll be _fine_."

Sara nodded with a small smile trying to appear more confident than she was, and Nick couldn't help but grin. She looked extremely nervous at the prospect of hand-gliding. And she looked impossibly cute all rigged out in the gliding gear. She was strapped into her frame and was fiddling nervously with every strap within reach. He felt a little tug at his heart as he saw the anxious glint behind her eyes.

He moved closer and looked her carefully in the face, trying to judge whether she was really too scared to do this. "Look, if you don't think you can do it, it's OK Sara. Nobody will-"

"I'll watch out for you, Sara." Keith stepped up beside Nick and he groaned inwardly.

_Yeah, I bet you will_...

Keith had perked up immensely this morning when Sara had arrived at Nick's house. Since then, he'd been the ultimate in chivalry and gentle encouragement towards the lovely Sara Sidle. Nick was amused at first, and sort of glad that there was someone taking an interest in Sara. He wasn't sure she realized how attractive she really was, and he figured a little outside interest from a new person couldn't hurt.

But now it was just getting annoying. He rolled his eyes as Keith spoke up again.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Sara. I promise."

Sara grinned a little and turned to the side to hide her slight embarrassment. She wasn't exactly a virgin, but at the moment, all the attention was making her a bit uncomfortable. It might not have been that bad if Nick wasn't standing right there. She remembered his comments when she'd first met Hank, and the "flirting over a D.B." line he'd thrown at her.

And now, here she was standing in front of her co-worker again, and this time it was his friend that was doing the flirting.

_Yeah, this isn't too awkward_...

But she couldn't deny she was enjoying the attention from Keith. He was a good looking guy, funny, and seemed to be quite bright on top of it all. Nick knew the guy from Texas A&M,despite the fact that he came from Rhode Island. He was working as a CGA for a large firm in Vegas that handled some of the big casinos. It seemed like a pretty lucrative position. They'd driven over here in his Lincoln Navigator, and Sara had to admit it was a pretty comfortable ride. Not that she was one to date a guy based on his earnings.

She looked over at the sandy haired, sea-green-eyed man smiling back at her.

_But a nice smile doesn't hurt_...

She smiled back. "Thanks, Keith. I'm sure I'll be fine."

She felt Nick's eyes on her and looked over to see him examining her closely. She was touched once more by his concern for her and she drew in a big breath and smiled at him with a newly found sense of adventure.

"OK, let's do this."

Nick's warm brown eyes looked surprised for a moment. "Yeah?"

She nodded again, still nervous but ready to give it a go. "Yeah."

He flashed her a big smile and for a second she forgot what she'd just agreed to. He came closer and checked her straps again. "That's my girl."

He tapped her helmet and nodded again. "You're going to love it, Sara. You'll see."

Keith was going to lead the way, and he grabbed his hand-glider and moved towards the edge of the cliff. He shouted back towards Sara as he prepared to run off the side.

"Just remember what we showed you and you'll be fiiiiiine!" And with a gust of wind he was airborn.

Sara took a deep breath and looked at the place where Keith used to be. Nick was strapping in somewhere behind her and she looked back at him one last time before she started to move to the edge herself, hoping she'd find strength in his presence. He called out to her.

"You ready?"

She gave him the thumbs up sign, not certain she could trust her vocal cords right now. She moved up to the edge and looked down. Taking another deep breath, she closed her eyes briefly as she rehearsed the take off in her mind.

_Well, it's now or never_...

She moved back a few steps and then trotted off the cliff.


	4. Chapter 4

"And then did you see me almost hit that tree? Man, I thought I was a gonner!"

Sara was laughing excitedly as she went over the highlights of her first glide. Nick was grinning from ear to ear as he watched her animated diatribe.

"But I somehow managed to pull it around and then _presto_! Smooth sailing!"

Keith nodded, looking at Nick. "She's hooked."

Nick nodded back. "Oh yeah. Definitely."

He was still thinking back to when she'd finally landed and had come running across the field towards him, whooping and hollering. She'd jumped up and down a couple times before she'd wrapped her arms around him and squeezed for all she was worth. He'd been amazed and amused at how strong she was as she nearly cut off his air supply while they laughed, squashed together in her embrace.

Keith had stood a few feet away looking not entirely happy, and Nick felt a bit pleased with himself for a moment.

_Yeah_, _take _that_ buddy_. _You're not the only game in town_.

Then he'd been confused.

_Hold up_, _here_. _This is Sara I'm talking about_.

He'd given himself a mental shake and tried to clear his mind of the crazy thoughts.

_It's just the same old rivalry Keith and I had in college, that's all_. _It really has nothing to do with Sara_.

But now, as he watched her continue to rave about her hand-gliding experiences, her hands fluttering around as she simulated parts of the adventure, he began to re-think this theory.

He was fairly certain he'd never seen her this excited about anything before, and for some reason it made him happy. Her face was lit up and she was smiling from ear to ear, seemingly unstoppable. Her hair was messed up, and she was wearing minimal make-up... And he couldn't deny she looked more beautiful than he'd ever seen her before. She was positively glowing.

_I wonder if that's how she looks when she's_...

He was thankful when Keith interrupted his thoughts, and shame washed over him as he realized where they'd been heading.

_Damn, what's up with me today_?

"Dude, your face is all red. Too much exercize for you, old man?" Keith was eyeing him with a superior look that he recognized all too well. The competition was apparently alive and well and his old frat buddy was getting ready for their usual game of one-upmanship.

"Whatever, man. I'm just overheating in this freakin' suit. I gotta get out of it."

Sara nodded. "I'm with you. These things are toasty."

They left their gliders where they were and made their way over to Keith's huge SUV. A couple guys from the rental office came out to sort them out.

"Good flights today, folks?"

Sara started to beam again and Nick grinned at her reply.

"It was the best!"

Nick nodded towards her, speaking to the rental guys. "Newbie."

"Hey!" She tried to look insulted, but she was just too happy to take anything seriously right now. Nick kept grinning at her and she laughed. "OK, maybe I'm a newbie, but not for long. I'm soooo coming back here. As soon as possible!"

Keith laughed too. "I'll bring you back anytime you want, Sara. Just let me know when."

Nick looked at the ground, smirking. The guy sure didn't let an opportunity go by, that was for sure.

They all started to strip out of their jumpsuits and Nick realized he was indeed roasting hot. His t-shirt was completely drenched with sweat. Sara looked at him with amusement. Then she looked at Keith to find he was similarly soaked.

"Man, you guys are disgusting. Ever hear of deoderant?"

Nick smirked at her as he pulled his shirt over his head. "Yeah well... Maybe some of us were just working harder then _others_ out there."

Sara ducked when Nick feigned throwing his sweaty t-shirt at her and then she laughed.

"Don't even try it, pal. You'll live to regret it."

As Nick reached into his bag for his water bottle, Sara's eyes were drawn to the gleaming muscles on his back. She gulped heavily.

_Man_, _does he seriously have muscles _everywhere? _Wow_...

She turned away, unnerved by the direction her thoughts had taken.

_Yikes_. _Think clean thoughts_... _Think clean thoughts_... _Think clean_-

Keith was standing shirtless on her other side, playing with his belt.

_And to the left we have a nice six pack of abs_...

He started to look up and she knew she was blushing so she quickly glanced away again before he caught her ogling him. But Nick was suddenly standing in front of her, holding out his water bottle. Ironically, her mouth had just gone dry as a bone.

_And now we have another washboard stomach over here_...

"Want some water?"

She wanted to speak, but her tongue seemed to have swollen to the full size of her mouth, preventing her from saying a word.

_Good God_. _I haven't had a date since Hank and suddenly it's raining men_.

She nodded dazedly and Nick looked at her closely.

"Sara? You OK?"

She nodded and took a swig of his water. Her mouth seemed to be working again. "Um, mmm hmmm. Just thirsty... Very, um... dehydrated."

Keith looked up at the sky above them. "Damn it's getting hot out now. You guys want to go for a swim someplace?"

Sara started to worry about having to be seen in a bathing suit and immediately shook her head. "Um, I think I'll take a pass, but you guys go ahead witho-"

"No, no... We're a team now, Sara. All for one and one for all. Why don't we hit a patio somewhere? Have a few beers?"

He looked at the two of them hopefully, and Sara couldn't help but feel a little charmed by his smile.

"I could handle a few beers, I guess." Then she looked at Nick next to her. Maybe she was overstepping the bounds of her invitation today. "Unless you don't want to, Nick. It's up to you."

"C'mon, Stokes. You know you want a few brewskies." Keith encouraged.

Nick grinned. "Yeah, that sounds alright to me." He tossed his bag back into the Lincoln. "But I need to swing by my place and grab some clean clothes." He gave his friend the once over. "How 'bout you? You going with that look?"

Keith laughed and looked down at his own bare chest. "What? You don't think this works for me?" He looked at Sara in speculation. "What do you think, Sara?"

She laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh... Sure. That'll do."

He snorted. "Hmmm. Not quite the enthusiasm I was hoping for, but I guess it'll have to do."

The three of them laughed and Keith grabbed a backpack out of the back of his SUV. "Fear not. I don't want to draw all the attention away from you Nick, so I'll throw on some clothes. Don't worry."

Nick shook his head, laughing. "Thanks, buddy. You're a true friend."

* * *

Sara sipped her Sol and watched the friendly interplay betwen the two men across the table from her. They'd had a lot of escapades during their university days, and she found herself laughing along with their stories as though she'd actually been there. And it seemed they'd had a few here in Vegas too.

Keith had actually been here longer than Nick, and he'd made his buddy feel right at home as soon as he'd hit town.

"Yeah, I showed him all the best _all-you-can-eat_ buffets. The boy would've starved if it wasn't for me." Keith gave himself a pat on the back.

Nick smirked. "Yeah, whatever. I'll have you know I'm a pretty good cook." He looked at Sara suddenly and she laughed. She knew he was still a sucker for the occasioanl cheap buffet. She grinned back at the two men.

"Hey, don't look at me. My specialties are toast and microwave popcorn."

"Oh, Sara... That's a travesty. I'll have to take you out for a good meal sometime." Keith flashed his biggest smile.

Sara smiled back, but said nothing. Nick decided to hold his tongue, and sipped on his beer quietly. He really couldn't figure out if Sara was actually falling for all this crap...

"Well, I need to use the facilities, guys. I'll be right back." Sara stood up and made her way across the patio and inside the bar/restaurant.

Keith jumped on Nick right away.

"So, Nick... I know you said Sara was just a friend from work but... I don't know man. I'm getting a weird vibe from you."

Nick shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "Weird vibe? Dude, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"No? Well, it seems like you're squirming every time I flirt with the woman."

"It's probably because you're pulling out all the lameass stops. She's not dense you know; she's a crime scene alnalyst for chrissakes."

"Now, ya see... _That's_ what I'm talking about, right there. Are you sure you're not into her?"

Nick laughed and rubbed his neck distractedly. "Yeah man, I'm sure. We're just friends." He smirked at his friend once more. "I guess it's just been a while since I've seen you in action. I forgot that subtlety wasn't your forté."

Keith pointedly ignored that last comment and smiled hopefully. "So you don't have a problem with me getting her number?"

Nick shrugged. "Go for it man. It's a free country."

Keith flashed him a winner's smile. "Your loss, man. Your loss. She's pretty damned cute."

Nick shook his head in amusement, but inwardly he felt unsettled. Despite what he'd said to Keith, he didn't feel as ambivalent as he'd let on. He couldn't figure out why the thought of Sara going out with his friend bothered him so much.

_I mean_, _he's a great guy_. _He's not the type to jerk her around, and he's pretty responsible_.

So what was the problem?

Sara returned just then and bowed off from another beer.

"I need to be able to drive home. I know my limits."

She smirked, knowing that it was all too true. Fortunately, her little brush with the other side of the law, and having had to get Grissom to come and take her home afterwards had been more than enough of an eye-opener to her burgeoning problem. And she hadn't drunk to excess since.

"Yeah, I'm thinking I could hit the hay sometime soon. I'm beat." Nick stretched his arms over his head.

Sara nodded. "Yeah, me too."

Keith drove them back to Nick's place, and they all stood chatting in his driveway before they went their separate ways.

"So... You guys working tonight?" The question was addressed to both of them, but Keith was looking directly at Sara, smiling. Nick replied first.

"Nope. I'm off. Why? You asking me on a date, buddy?" He put his hand over his heart. "I'm _touched_."

Keith snorted. "Nick, you're a handsome devil, I'll give you that... But you're not really my type." He winked at him and Nick couldn't help but chuckle. "But how about you, Sara? You working tonight?"

Sara caught herself grinning appreciatively at his smoothness. She nodded, smiling widely. "I'm off too, as a matter of fact."

Keith rubbed his hands together with glee. "Oh Ho... I feel a plan hatching." He grinned mischievously at the other two. "What do you say, guys? A night on the town?"

Nick grinned and looked at his feet. The two of them had more than a few of those under their belts already. "I don't know, man..."

"Oh come on, Stokes. It's been ages since we've gone out. Don't let me down now, after such an awesome day..." He stared at Sara. "You're up for it, aren't you Sara?"

She too looked at her feet uncertainly. Again, she didn't want Nick to feel like she was horning in on his friends. They'd already spent the better part of the day together, after all. She didn't want him to get sick of her already.

"Oh, I don't know, Keith. I'm not really a big nightclubber. And there are a couple things I should probably check up on at work..."

Nick looked up then, regarding Sara with interest. After all the fun they'd had today, it would be a shame to let her drift back into her old familiar habits again just because he was on edgeabout this attraction between her and Keith.

_I mean, she's become like a sister to me really_... _I think_ _I'm just being over-protective or something_.

And he wasn't about to let it ruin Sara's chances for having a good night off.

"You know, it has been a while... Maybe I will go out tonight." He turned to Sara. "What do you say, Sidle? Up for another adventure?"

She felt a ripple of pleasure at being included in their plans, especially since Nick seemed to want her along after all. She couldn't stifle the excitement behindher grin.

"Uh, yeah... I... I'd love to, actually. If I won't get in the way of your picking up chicks or anything."

Nick laughed and Keith jumped in with a denial. "Sara, we're not a couple of young punkasses anymore. We don't go out to pick up girls these days."

Nick grinned like a cheshire cat. "No, now we go out to pick up _women_!"

Sara burst out laughing and Keith shook his head bemusedly. "C'mon now, man. You'll have her thinking we're a couple of playboys."

Sara grinned even wider. "Oh, it's OK. I already think of Nick that way."

Nick laughed, but secretly he was uncomfortable with the sudden re-emergence of his old reputation. He'd actually thought he'd shaken that image years ago. Apparently not.

Sara caught a hint of something behind Nick's eyes and frowned slightly. "Nick? You know I'm just joking, right?"

He nodded, laughing. "Don't worry, Sara. _Sticks and stones_..."

But Sara still felt some misgivings. After all he'd done for her in the last couple of days, the last thing she wanted to do was insult him.

It was true, they used to joke around about Nick's supposedly impressive sex life back in the early years, but she'd stopped looking at him like just another frat boy a long time ago. He was as reliable and dependable as anyone could hope to have in a colleague. And he was no southern hick, either. The guy was damned good at his job... something she'd grudgingly accepted when he'd beat her out for the 'theoretical' supervisor position last year.

He was smiling at her now, but she'd caught a glimpse of something just then and she couldn't figure out what it had been.

_And I'm probably just over-reacting anyway_.

She grinned back at him. "Well, listen guys... I need some sleep. Why don't you two make a game plan and I'll call you later to see what's happening?" She directed this last part at Nick and he nodded.

"Sounds good."

"And thanks for today, you guys. That was seriously one of the coolest things I've ever done. It was a blast!" She looked at Nick as she spoke, but Keith was the one to answer.

"Not a problem, Sara. And like I said, anytime you want to go up again, let me know."

She thanked him for the offer and then started to turn to go. Then she stopped and looked at Nick once again.

"Thanks again for today, Nick. I'm really glad you invited me. I'll call you later." She patted his arm lightly.

He smiled at her, shrugging. "No problem, Sidle. I'll see you later."

She climbed into her car and drove off. Nick watched her disappear from sight, wondering if he was making a mistake by basically encouraging her to hook up with Keith this way.

He snapped out of his reverie as Keith clapped him on the shoulder. "Get some rest buddy. You're going to need it!"

Nick laughed as he headed inside his house.

_Man oh man_... _What have I gotten myself into_? _And more importantly, what am I getting Sara into_?


	5. Chapter 5

_**A.N**: _OK, let me start by apologizing for taking so long to update. My friend's computer (where I'm staying right now) crashed last week and she's only _just _brought her laptop home for the weekend... I'm entirely at the mercy of others' technology! Thanks for your patience.

Secondly, I'd like to point out that I have yet to see any of season 5 since I'm still in Oz, but hopefully I'll be catching up quickly once I get home. A friend has been taping them for me so... Woo hoo! Anyway, any discrepancies in the story can be attributed to this fact, hopefully.

OK, now bring on the fluff! :)

* * *

The phone ringing snapped her awake and she had grabbed the receiver and mumbled _hello_ before she was even fully conscious. She heard Nick chuckle on the other end.

"You're still asleep? Man, we really wore you out today didn't we?"

Sara smiled and yawned into the phone as she reached for her bedside lamp switch. Her clock radio read 8:45. She hadn't even gone to bed until 4, thanks to a last minute shopping spree.

"Hey Nick. Yeah, I guess it was a little more excitement than I'm used to."

The truth was, she didn't want to confess to her afternoon of desperate clothes shopping. She was more than a little embarrassed about how excited she was about going out tonight. She had fully intended to go straight to bed when she got home that afternoon, but then she took a look in her closet, trying to decide what to wear that evening.

_Crap_.

She had lots of decent clothes… for work. She'd been honest with Keith: She really didn't do a lot of nightclubbing. And her wardrobe was evidence of that. She did have a few dressier items, but they weren't really up to date, and were more suited to making court appearances than going to clubs.

So she'd hopped back in her car and headed towards the shops at Caesar's…

_Oh well_. _I've functioned perfectly well under less sleep than this_.

She smiled into the phone. "It was _so_ worth the aches and pains I'm already feeling, though." She rubbed her sore ams.

Nick laughed. "Yeah, the first time's always the hardest." Then he grinned sheepishly on his end of the line, realizing how that had sounded.

Sara grinned. "Yeah, so they say." She was laughing now too. "Stop flirting with me, Stokes." She was gratified to hear his snort on the other end and then she went on. "So, what's the plan, Stan?"

"Well, we're going to a place called _Rain in the Desert_. Keith's company has VIP privileges there, and I think we can score a private booth."

"Wow. That sounds great. I… Uh, what sort of dress code do they have, do you know?"

Nick laughed. "Well, I think it's a little more upscale than some places, but I don't think you'll need to wear French silk stockings or anything. Although…" He left the thought dangling, enjoying another chance to flirt.

Sara made a small sound of disbelief. "Forget about it Nick. It's way too hot out for those. Not going to happen."

He chuckled some more. "Just wear something black and revealing then. That seems to be the common trend."

She laughed again. "_Check_. Anything else I should know?"

Nick frowned. "Well, yeah actually… I have to swing by the labs before I go, so I'm going to have to meet you guys there, but-"

"What? Why?" Sara wasn't sure if she was comfortable being alone with Keith just yet. She liked him, but it was a little soon for her to be thrown into a one-on-one situation.

Nick smiled, secretly pleased that she would miss him.

"Grissom called and he just needs me to sign off on something-"

"OK, well I'll come with you then."

"Sara, it's going to take, like, 5 seconds. I'll meet you there."

Sara frowned more deeply. Despite her attraction to Keith, she didn't like the feeling that she was being manipulated. "Nick, I… This isn't some kind of a set-up is it? Because if it is-"

"_No_. Definitely not."

He'd answered a little too quickly and he hoped that Sara would simply chalk it up to him trying to be reassuring. "I wouldn't put you in that position, I swear. I… I am definitely leaving your dating life up to you, I promise."

In fact, the very thought of her dating right now was bothering him more than he wanted to admit.

Sara sensed that he was being straight with her. "Well, OK. But…"

"Don't worry. Keith is bringing a couple other friends; I think another guy, and possibly another woman, so it shouldn't be too awkward. He'll pick you up around 10:30 and then he's leaving his car at his offices. We'll all cab home." He hoped she'd be comfortable with all this. "Sound OK?"

Sara took in a deep breath. "Well, if you promise me you're definitely coming…"

He grinned. "I wouldn't miss it for the world, Sar. I'll be there."

"Well, OK."

He gave her Keith's cell number and she hung up, still a little nervous about the whole deal.

In truth, hanging out with a group of strangers presented its own set of problems for her. She had a tendency to be a little too frank with people sometimes and she didn't want to put her foot in it tonight with Nick's friends. She hoped he wasn't too long in meeting up with them… He was the people person.

She looked at her new purchases and grinned. She'd actually bought three different outfits and 2 pairs of shoes.

_Wow_. _I have all these new clothes and I still don't know what to wear_.

She shook her head at her own foolishness and headed into the shower.

* * *

Keith, Sara and co. walked past the line up and with the flash of a metallic card, they quickly entered the club much to the annoyance of all the people currenly lined up outside the door.

The consumate gentleman since they'd picked her up, Keith gently guided Sara up the stairs, his hand resting lightly on her bare back. Sara couldn't deny the pleasure that stole through her at the attention... And the warmth of his touch was nice too.

Keith's three friends followed closely, and as they all entered the enclosed booth Sara was impressed to see a waitress appear almost instantly to take their orders.

The black haired woman who sat across from Sara barely looked up from where she rummaged in her bag to mumble "wine spritzer" at the waitress. Sara pursed her lips to hide her amusement. Marty had seemed bored from the moment they'd been introduced and she would probably remain that way for the rest of the evening, undoubtedly. Sara's grin fought to escape once more as she thought, _Or for the rest fo her life more likely_.

Rob and Lynn both ordered rye and cokes and Sara eyed them with speculation, trying to figure out if they were a couple or not. Lynn was a stunning brunette... more attractive than Marty in Sara's opinion since she had a ready smile and sparkling blue eyes. Rob was dark-haired and very handsome as well, but Sara was yet to get a read on him. He seemed nice though, if a little distracted.

"What's your poison, Sara?" Keith smiled at her.

"I'd really just like a beer. Whatever's on tap is fine."

She smirked at her own lack of culture, but was surprised when she sensed a friendly smile from across the table. Lynn stopped the waitress and changed her order to a beer as well. Marty snorted derisively and started to dig around in her bag again.

Keith watched Sara, still smiling. "So, what do you think? Cool place, huh?"

She looked out through the glass wall and down at the melee below them. People milled about as the loungey sounds of groovy house music drifted through the air, drinking and smiling and being entirely too attractive. She looked at the good looking people around her in the booth as well and gulped.

_Man, wasn't there a Twilight Zone episode called_ 'The Land of the Beautiful People' _or something_?

She smiled back at Keith. "Yeah, it's really... cool. I've never been here before. And this booth is amazing."

"Well, it's a bit mellow right now but it'll pick up in a while. Then the booth will come in handy."

She raised a brow. "Wow, really? It already looks packed to me."

"Yeah, but they'll jam more people in here . And the music will get kicked up a notch and the dance floor will be hopping. It's always hard to hold on to a seat in places like this. It'll be standing room only down there soon enough."

She nooded back, still smiling but all the while fighting off the urge to inquire about legal patron capacities and fire safety.

_You're here to have fun, Sidle_. _Turn off your damned brain_...

Their drinks arrived and Sara sipped her beer quietly, watching the people down below with fascination. Keith leaned in closer and spoke quietly in her ear.

"You look really beautiful tonight, Sara."

She grinned awkwardly. "Thanks. But then, you've only ever seen me in hand-gliding coveralls and covered in dirt."

He laughed. "Well, I gotta say you looked pretty good then too..."

She grinned again, blushing lightly. While Keith was deciding that he was growing very fond of the cute space between her front teeth, she replied, "Thank you. That's, um... That's really nice of you to say. And you look very nice too."

He looked extremely handsome actually, in dark pants and a stylish maroon shirt. And she'd already gotten a glimpse of the chest underneath...

She bit her lip and grabbed her beer again.

Rob quizzed her on her occupation and after she explained what her job involved, Lynn looked up in recognition. "Oh, that's right... Keith said you worked with Nick." She nodded, smiling at Sara.

"You know Nick?" Sara was uncertain why the idea made her uncomfortable.

Lynn nodded. "Oh yeah. I met him through Keith when he first moved here. We even dated for a little while."

Sara tried to ignore the sinking sensation in her gut, but unfortunately it was accompanied by an annoying thought.

_Oh man_. _One of Nick's ex-girlfriends_. _Great_.

She smiled back at the stunning woman, hoping even moreso now that Lynn and Rob were in fact a couple. Just then Marty spoke up.

"Where is Nicky anyway?"

_Nicky_? It sounded a lot different than when Grissom or Catherine called him by that little nickname at work.

Sara's lips pursed into an attempt at a smile. "Let me guess: You used to date Nick too?"

Marty raised her brows suggestively and smiled slightly. "No... Not _yet_."

Sara laughed although her stomach had stopped sinking and seemed to be rising up into her thoat. Lynn shook her head.

"Don't listen to her. She's just playing her little games with you. It's the only thing that keeps her from being terminally bored."

Sara looked back at her with a look that was meant to represent confusion. "But I'm not... Nick and I just work together. It's no skin off my back who he dates."

Lynn grinned. "Doesn't matter. All women are competition to Marty and therefore fair game. Isn't that right, hon?" She looked at the other woman with amusement. Marty flicked her hair over her shoulder in dismissal.

"Whatever. I'm going downstairs to mingle. Are you two coming?"

Sara was shocked to note thatMarty actually meant Lynn _and _her. Lynn laughed at Sara's expression. "She probably just wants to keep an eye on you. You look entirely too tall and glamourous in that sexy little dress. I think she's nervous."

Sara laughed, blushing at the compliment. "Oh, I doubt that-"

"You know what they say: _Keep your friends close and and enemies closer_." Lynn chuckled. Sara followed the women downstairs, looking back over her shoulder at Keith. He laughed at her obvious confusion and raised his hands.

"Hey don't look at me? I'm just a man, and we _never_ understand the inner workings of the female mind."

Sara laughed and started to follow again but turned once more when she heard him call out "Hurry back." His eyes twinkled and she felt a small flutter in her heart. She smiled at him warmly.

"OK."

She disappeared down the stairs.

* * *

"Don't mind Marty. She's actually not so bad once you get to know her." Lynn and Sara watched as the other woman chatted up a guy who could have been a model... and probably was. She looked slightly less bored for the moment. Sara smiled at Lynn, grudgingly accepting that she actually liked the woman, despite her earlier bizarre discomfort around her. In fact, she could see why Nick wouldbe attracted to her. She seemed really nice.

Sara watched the crowd around her. "I was worried it would be a bunch of early 20's types here, but it seems a little older. I'm sort of relieved."

Lynn nodded. "Yeah, more of us 30's in here. A more _mature _crowd." She tried to look serious, but Sara ended up laughing.

"What? Don't I look mature?" Lynn pretended to be offended.

"Only in the 'grown-up' sense of the word. Definitely not age-wise."

Lynn grinned and patted Sara's shoulder. "I like you, Sara. You can be my new best friend, OK?"

Sara laughed and looked back as people started to move towards the dance floor. The music had picked up and people were already looking to dance.

"I'm going to the ladies room. Are you coming or do you want to wait here?"

"I'll wait here." Sara had never really understood the need for women to go to the bathroom in pairs. Just as she moved past Sara, Lynn stopped and looked up, smiling.

"Oh good, Nick's here." She kept moving past Sara and towards the bathrooms as Sara's heart skipped a beat.

She looked up towards the booth and saw Nick ordering a drink from the waitress. She swallowed as she took in his appearance. He was wearing an outfit she'd seen him in a number of times at work, and she recalled even telling him he looked pretty handsome in it once: Slim fitting black pants and a chocolate coloured long-sleeved shirt. It was a simple combination, but he looked...

She was having difficulty pushing back the word that kept coming to mind as she watched him.

_Sexy_.

She wet her lips and turned back to the people beginning to dance in front of her.

_Jeeze, you _are _hard up_. _Stop drooling over Nick_. _He's just your friend_. _You're totally and completely not his type anyway_. _And plus_, _there's Keith now_...

But she couldn't stop her mind from turning.

* * *

"Where's Sara?"

Nick had just met Rob and was looking out the glass panel into the crowd.

"She's riiiiight...." Keith peered through the throngs of people."... _there_."

Nick followed his pointing finger to where Sara stood alone, watching the people around her. He didn't know what he'd been expecting to see, but it hadn't been this.

Her hair was pulled up in a casual but stylish upswept fashion and her shoulders were bare, as was her back from the looks of it. A deep rose coloured halter-styled top wrapped loosely around her neck, and the front appeared to dip low in the front, possibly showing cleavage... He couldn't tell from this distance, but somehow his mind began to fill in the blanks for him. It might actually have been a dress, but he couldn't tell that either.

All he knew was that her neck looked incredibly graceful and he felt his fingers working at his side as he contemplated touching the soft skin of her back...

"Well?" Keith was looking at him in question.

_Damn_. _Where was my mind just then_?

"Well what?" Nick stared at him blankly.

"You want to go down and see the girls?"

Nick nodded in the affirmative and then tried to play it casual. "So, you scared her away already?" He motioned towards Sara and grinned.

"No, not at all. In _fac_t... I'm getting some very good vibes from her." Keith smiled happily.

"Oh yeah?" Nick gave an air of vague interest, but his insides began to churn ever so slighty. "Well, good for you, man. Sara's a special woman."

The words were out of his mouth before he realized how that had sounded.

"A _special woman_? Nick, are you sure-"

"Yeah, I'm _sure_ there's_ nothing_ going on with us. Will you get over it? I've worked with her for almost 5 years, man. We're just friends."

Keith shrugged. "OK, OK. I _get_ it. And like I said before, too bad for you. But _very_ good for me, I'm thinking."

Nick tried to grin nonchalantly. "Just don't mess with her, bro. I'm serious. She's my friend, alright?"

"You know me better than that, buddy."

Nick nodded and accepted his beer from the waitress. Rob bowed off from joining them for the moment, talking animatedly on his cell phone, and Nick followed Keith downstairs.

_That's right_, _Nick_. _She's just a friend_. _I seriously doubt she'd appreciate the way you've been thinking about her today_. _Get over it_.

He frowned at Keith's back as they made their way towards the dance floor... and Sara Sidle.


	6. Chapter 6

Sara felt an arm slip around her shoulder and she jerked slightly in surprise. Then she was looking into Keith's face, smiling.

"Hey there. You decided to come down from your pedestal?" She gave him a teasing smile and he laughed.

"Only for you, gorgeous." He continued to grin, and then he indicated the man standing behind him. "And look who I brought with me: My trusty court jester."

Nick groaned inside, but smiled with amusement. He nodded at Sara. "Hey, Sar. You having fun?"

She nodded happily. "Yeah, I think I am actually." She felt a flush rise to her cheeks as she worked to dispel her earlier thoughts about her handsome colleague. She whacked his arm playfully. "And it's about time you made it. There seem to be a lot of lovely ladies here who've probably been waiting for you to show up..."

He laughed lightly. "Yeah, sure there are." He looked around, rubbing the back of his neck absently as he took in her appearance more closely. It turned out Sara's outfit was in fact a dress... and a pretty damned sexy one at that.

It had a slender waist and flared softly down into uneven lengths which dropped just around her knees. A recent interest in jogging that Sara had picked up from their brief attempt at the law enforcement relay race had made her long legs even more shapely... He gulped and began to raise his eyes upward once more, but he was suddenly sidetracked.

_Damn_. _I was right about the cleavage_.

He forced his eyes quickly back to hers and found her smiling softly at him. Her rose-coloured lipstick worked nicely with her dress to bring out her complexion. And her mouth looked so... sensual.

He licked his own lips and smiled back tentatively, looking like he was about to say something, but Keith beat him to the punch.

"So, beautiful... You feel like cutting a rug?"

He looked at her so hopefully, she found it impossible to resist and nodded her head instantly.He grabbed her hand and started to lead her towards the dance floor. She looked back at Nick as they went, and was surprised at the intensity of his stare as he followed their movements.

_Ah, good old Nick_... _always concerned_.

But in the back of her mind, she wondered if she hadn't seen something else behind that warm brown-eyed glance a moment ago.

_Yeah Sara, right_. _Have another beer, why don't you?_

But as Keith whirled her around the dance floor, she couldn't stop her eyes from returning to where Nick stood watching the crowd, quietly sipping his beer.

* * *

Nick watched Keith lead Sara away and felt a pang of longing when she looked back at him for a second. Maybe he should have...

But she seemed so happy, he figured he must be losing his mind. After all, the whole purpose of today had been to help Sara to break out of the self-imposed shell she'd been encapsulated in for so long.What she needed was a good friend, that was all. He was just helping her out. And as he watched her laughing and moving around the dance floor with Keith, he realized it was working. She looked radiant out there. He swallowed once more.

_And those legs_, _that dress_...

He sighed at his own lack of self-control and turned towards the bar in search of another beer, but one suddenly appeared in front of his face and a voice purred in his ear.

"Hey handsome. How ya been?"

He looked at the woman behind the voice and then smiled in recognition.

"Lynn! Good to see you!" He leaned in to kiss her cheek and she hugged him warmly. She passed him the glass of beer as she replied.

"I'm great, actually. And I was glad to hear Keith say you were finally coming out for a night on the town. It's been way too long since I've seen you."

Nick nodded, sipping his beer. "Yeah, no kidding." He looked her up and down appreciatively. "And you look fantastic by the way. How are things going with you? Work treating you OK?"

She started to regale him with stories about the life of a high-end casino host and he laughed at her antics. He realized how good it was to see a familiar face in this sea of strangers, and Lynn had always been a good laugh. They'd even dated briefly, but both of them had realized that while they got along really well, there just wasn't any real _chemistry_ between them.

She quizzed him on what he'd been up to lately, and he was glad to shift his brain from the topic that had been wearing uncomfortably on him all day. Or rather, the _person_ who had been.

He took a last glance at Sara and Keith, and seeing her smiling and having a blast out there, he'd returned his attention to Lynn.

He smiled widely at her crazy stories and decided he might as well make the most of his own night too.

* * *

Sara glanced in Nick's direction just as Lynn was giving him a big hug. She felt her smile slip for a second, but fortunately Keith hadn't caught it. She turned back in his direction and he winked at her, moving in closer and placing his hand on her waist. The music was too fast for close dancing at this point, but he still wanted to get a little nearer if he could manage it. He was secretly relieved when she didn't pull away and smiled back at him with the slightest hint of suggestion.

He thought they were making a connection, but she was a hard one to read. She seemed to appreciate his attentions, but he couldn't tell if she was just flirting for the fun of it, or whether she was genuinely interested. She was undoubtedly more complicated than the last few women he'd dated.

_That's OK_. _I like a challenge_.

He grabbed her hand and swung her gently to the left and then back again, enjoying the swish of her dress with every move. She looked incredibly hot and he was enjoying himself immensely.

Sara smiled back at Keith, amazed at how her life had changed so radically in just one day. She couldn't have imagined she'd be out on the town like this, and dancing with such a sexy guy on top of it all. Her smile became slightly more secretive.

_And I have Nick to thank for it_.

She looked back towards him once more, but felt a shimmer of discomfort as she saw him still chatting with Lynn, and now Marty was beside them as well, smiling at him for all she was worth. Nick was flashing them his broad smile and the three of them seemed to be laughing at something together.

Then Keith was dancing in her field of vision, and she experienced a sliver of annoyance at the interruption.

And then confusion at this annoyance.

Keith grinned at her and she smiled back, but it felt a bit forced. She tried to focus her attention back on her dance partner, but she kept catching glimpses of the trio off in the distance behind him, and she couldn't seem to shake this odd feeling in her gut.

_Am I jealous_?

She exhaled heavily and danced a little harder, hoping to get past these irrational feelings.

* * *

The music began to slow down again, and Nick smiled down at the raven-haired woman beside him.

"Ah... Sorry, Marty. I don't really feel like dancing right now. But maybe..." He looked up as the model that she'd been chatting up earlier came up behind her. "I think you might have another option."

Marty glanced over her shoulder at the smiling man and shrugged at Nick. "Your loss."

He laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure it is."

He stood with Lynn, working on his third beer. He laughed as she made fun of her friend. "Nick, one day you're going to have to break down and dance with the woman. She'll never give up, you know."

Nick smirked. "Yeah, and after she's gotten her prize, she'll move on to the next challenge. I'm all too familiar with her game, Lynn." He glanced briefly to where Keith and Sara had been dancing a minute before, but they were suddenly nowhere in sight. He commented distractedly. "Plus, she's just not my type."

He scanned the room looking for the missing couple as Lynn quizzed him. "So what is your type, Nick? Are you seeing anyone these days?"

He still couldn't see them and he looked up at the booth. Rob was still up there on his phone, but nobody else was there with him. He frowned slightly before facing her again. "Uh, no. I've... sorta been away from the market for a while."

Lynn looked appalled. "How can that be, sweetie? You're the cat's meow."

He chuckled. "Oh yeah? Is that why _we_ worked out so well?"

She laughed. "OK, well maybe you're not the cat's meow fo_ me_, exactly..."

Nick tried to latch on to that fact and divert the attention away from his sad love life. "So, who is then? You dating anyone lately?"

She frowned. "_Bleh_. I've dated a few different guys but... I don't know, Nicky. I'm beginning to despair that I'll ever find a good man in Vegas. And all I meet at work are losers"

"Ah come on now, Lynn. Don't you realize how many guys feel their egos inflate at just one smile from the lovely casino host? They must feel like they've hit the jackpot!"

She squeezed his arm. "Man, I've missed you. Always the gentleman." Then she looked at him seriously as he glanced around once more, beginning to feel a bit alarmed at Sara's absence.

"So, Nick, seriously. Why are you still single? You're such a catch."

He tried to focus on her words, despite the misgivings he was feeling.

_Keith wouldn't have left with her already_, _would he_?

"Uh, I... I've been pretty focussed on my career, I guess. It's just... we're really busy. I'm always pulling doubles and... well, I just haven't been able to find the time..."

Lynn tilted her head skeptically. "Yeah, _right_. I'm not buying it. Too busy? Then how come the two of you managed to make it out here tonight?" She was glancing over his shoulder in amusement now and Nick turned to follow her glance. He felt a moment of intense relief as he saw Sara making her way towards them, smiling.

His mouth twitched up on one side, and he felt as if a breath he'd been holding was suddenly released.

_Thank god she's still here_.

It was almost like a dream sequence as she moved slowly towards them, a vision in deep rose. A number of couples swayed together behind her as the music took on a more intimate groove. She finally reached them and her smile grew.

"Hiya."

"Hey there." Nick smiled back. Then he looked around. "Where's Keith?"

"Some other guy from his office called him on his cell from outside. He's trying to get into the club, but Keith has the VIP card. He went to get him in."

Nick nodded his understanding as Lynn spoke up. "Well, I need another beverage. Anyone else?"

Sara nodded. "If you're going, I wouldn't mind another beer."

"You got it." The other woman wound her way back towards the bar and Sara turned back to Nick. She grinned. "So...?"

He laughed. "So?"

"You having a good time?"

"Yeah, not bad. And you seem to be dancing up a storm out there."

Sara grinned wider. "Yeah, I'm having a great time, actually." She smiled a bit more shyly. "Keith's really nice."

Nick nodded. "Yeah, he's a good guy. I'm... I'm glad you two are hitting it off."

"Yeah we are. We are." She nodded back. "Nick, when I asked you what you were doing after work this morning..." She paused, trying to find the right words.

_I never imagined I'd be seeing you in such a different light_...

"I never realized that I'd end up having this much fun. It's all been really... well, amazing. And I just want to thank you for everything."

He shrugged, grinning modestly. "Ah, Sara... I didn't do much. You just needed a little push. And I mean..." He stepped away from her slightly. "Well, look at you. You look... you look really beautiful, Sara." His face warmed up and he hoped he wasn't flushing.

Sara's heart quivered at his words and she stumbled to reply. "Well, I... Wow, thanks, Nick. I..." She shrugged awkwardly and grinned some more, her own cheeks colouring.

She was suddenly desperate for a distraction when a slow, pretty 'Massive Attack' song kicked in. A few more couples slipped out onto the dance floor, bodies swaying in close embraces. She grinned shyly, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, I... Uh... I love this song."

Nick raised his eyebrows slightly in question, smiling hopefully.

"Wanna dance with me, Sidle?"

She pursed her lips in her usual amused smile, then nodded lightly. "Yeah, Nick. I'd love to."

He flashed his brightest smile and her knees felt a little wobbly.

_Hmmm_. _Maybe I don't need another beer after all_.

As Nick placed his hand in the small of her bare back, Sara had to suppress a shudder at the warm, sensual sensation that crept heatedly up her spine. Her skin broke out in goosebumps, but Nick seemed unaware of the effect he was havving on her, and for that she was grateful.

The moment his hand touched her back, Nick wanted to slide it further up and caress the soft skin at the nape of her neck, but instead he grabbed her other hand and held it in front of them as they made their way to a less crowded place on the dance floor. He turned to face her and was rewarded with a gentle smile. He ignored the desire to reach up and push a loose strand of hair behind her ear and slid his arms behind her in a gentle embrace.

She moved her body closer to his and this time she couldn't hold back a small tremor as she felt his body against hers. He leaned back from the embrace, his arms still encircling her. "You OK?" His face was close to hers and she thought she might actually be melting under his caring brown eyes.

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine. There was... a draft. From the door."

Nick nodded and moved closer again, his chin hovering above her shoulder. Sara placed her hands tentatively on his shoulders and tried to decide whether she should rest her head on his shoulder or not. Then she felt herself heat up even more as Nick's hands slid further up her back, pulling her closer.

She put her chin on his shoulder, all but sighing with content as the music wafted over them.

"... _And you can't change the way she feels  
But you could put your arms around her_... "

Nick turned his face into her hair, his lips just above her ear. A lick of fire shot through him as her fingers gently grazed his neck just above his collar when she re-adjusted her hands on his upper back. Then his mouth twitched into a small smile as he heard her low voice singing softly along with the song.

"..._I stand in front of you  
I'll take the force of the blow  
Protection_..."

As they moved together slowly, every step in sync, Nick was amazed at how right she felt in his arms, and his heart began to palpitate unevenly in his chest. Then it seemed to leap into his throat as she snuggled in a little closer to him, her chest pressed more tightly against his. He couldn't stop one hand from dipping lower down her back once more to rest almost on her tailbone, and she felt a stream of pleasure at the trail his fingers left.

The urge to kiss her hair was driving him crazy, but just as he felt himself weakening, he stiffened.

Keith had returned and was now standing next to Lynn, watching them intently. He felt jealousy flare up at the idea of Sara being with his friend, and then he felt the usual confusion.

_Dammit_. _What the hell am I doing_?

He pulled slightly back from Sara in an attempt to regain his composure. He didn't know what had gotten into him. He'd been telling Keith all day that there was nothing between him and Sara, but...

Well, he'd always found her attractive, that much was true. _But then today she'd been so_...

And _tonight_. Tonight she'd looked...

_Dammit Dammit Dammit_.

He felt an intense sense of shame.

_Don't do that to her, man_. _She needed a friend and now you're thinking about taking advantage of that friendship_. _It's not worth losing her over, and that's how it would end up_. _You know that_.

Sara felt Nick stiffen within their embrace and wondered what was going on. Then she looked up and saw that Keith had returned and was talking to Lynn. Her previous exhilaration quickly faded into heavy disappointment. Keith had his arm around Lynn's shoulders and Sara was fairly certain she knew what the problem was: Nick was jealous.

She sighed as she stared back at Keith while she and Nick continued to dance, albeit less closely now. Unfortunately, she had to admit that she didn't feel even a portion of the spark with Keith that she'd just experienced with Nick.

_So, I guess Nick must still have feelings for Lynn after all_.

She carefully hid her disappointment as the song ended and Nick pulled away from her completely now. He smiled at her as he led her back to the others.

_And this all really sucks because_...

She swallowed heavily, looking at her feet as they walked across the floor.

... _Because I think I've developed some feelings for Nick_.

They stood in front of Nick's two friends now and Keith was smiling at her brightly. She smiled back, but her heart was sinking.

_Great_. _What do I do now_?

* * *

_**A.N**_: Hey guys, I'm about to make the super long journey back home, so I won't be writing any more for a few days. I tried to make this chapter a little longer to compensate. I hope you liked it!


	7. Chapter 7

"So, I'm feeling a bit jipped here... Do I get a slow dance too, Sara?" Keith was smiling happily, as usual.

Sara weighed her options in the blink of an eye.

This attraction to Nick was ultimately pointless. In all the time she'd known him, they'd never progressed further than harmless flirting, and in all honesty she'd never wanted to... Or at least she hadn't wanted to before now. As surprised as she was to admit it, she had to accept that something had changed for her.

But she also knew that Nick would never go for someone like her. As flattering as everyone's comments about her appearance had been tonight, she knew she was far from a supermodel, and she was fairly sure that that was much closer to Nick's taste.

And more importantly, she'd already spent too many years hung up on a man who wasn't ever going to return her affections. The whole Grissom affair, or _lack_ therof had put a serious dent in her self-confidence. In spite of how her mind was reeling over the whole crazy turn of events today and the mad rush of bizarre new feelings, she knew one thing for certain: Her heart definitely couldn't take it again- falling for someone who wouldn't return her love.

She slowly smiled back at Keith. "Of course you can have a slow dance." She took his hand in hers. "Let's go."

She didn't look back as they walked to the dance floor, afraid her eyes would betray her.

* * *

Nick stared at the ceiling in his bedroom, unimpressed and vaguely depressed.

_Damn_.

The night had not turned out the way he'd expected. Not at all.

He rolled over on his side, clutching a pillow. Unexpected was an understatement, even.

He'd continued to tell himself he was just feeling over-protective towards Sara and nothing more, even after she'd slipped back out onto the dance floor with Keith and held him almost as closely as she'd held Nick a few minutes earlier.

But he knew he'd been kidding himself when she'd slipped into the cab beside Keith, waving at the rest of them as they'd sped away. As he'd watched her disappear into the night he'd felt disappointment and regret weighing heavily on his heart.

But most surprising of all, especially since he knew it was totally irrational, he'd felt _hurt_. _Betrayed_, even. And that's when he knew: He was more than a little attracted to Sara.

In fact, the idea that she was probably with Keith right now, doing god knows what...

He squeezed the pillow tighter, suppressing images of Sara and Keith in a compromising position. It was like a small pin stabbing repeatedly at his heart. If he kept this up, he was eventually going to bleed out.

And so he'd been laying here for over an hour now trying to figure it all out. When exactly had his feelings for her... _developed_ this way? How? And why now?

They'd always had a fairly decent relationship at work, although they operated in styles which could only be descibed as polar opposite. This understandably caused some tensions between them occasionally, but neither of them seemed to hold a grudge... at least not when it came to the other. He knew Sara tended to take things to heart, but she never really seemed to stay mad at Nick for very long.

He inhaled deeply.

_So what's changed_?

For the life of him, he had no idea. He just knew that it could only lead to no good. He scowled at the wall.

_How do I make it go away_?

* * *

Nick walked down the hall towards the meeting room, uncertain if Sara was working that night and desperately hoping she wasn't. He needed a little time and space to figure this all out, since he hadn't been able to so far.

He noticed everyone was already there... except Sara. He breathed a hidden sigh of relief. She was never late so she must be-

"Hey guys. Sorry I'm running a little late today. I hope you didn't start without me."

She grinned slightly, unable to look at Nick directly. He chewed at the inside of his lip, trying not to think about what Sara might have been doing to make herself late for work. Catherine noted the uncomfortable glance he trained on the table and her brain started its auto-analysis mode.

_I wonder what's up with those two_?

Before she could give it too much thought, Grissom began handing out assignments, seemingly as oblivious as usual to the moods and un-work related activities of his colleagues.

* * *

Nick was focusing on the lab results in his hand and didn't notice the two women approaching him from down the hallway. He almost jumped when Catherine's voice interrupted his musings.

"How's the D.B. going, Nick?"

He looked up suddenly and at seeing Sara beside Catherine, he seemed even more startled for a moment but he recovered quickly. Favouring Sara with a small smile, he returned his eyes back to Catherine. She didn't miss the small flush in Sara's cheeks as the younger woman looked away. Nick cleared his throat before speaking.

"Well, this woman claims she went into her suitcase, which she'd left in the back of her car since she'd returned from travelling last week and-"

"Wait a minute. I don't know many women who'd leave one of their bags in the back of their car for that long after a trip. Sounds a little suss to me." Catherine furrowed her brow.

"Actually, it was empty. She just put it in the back of her car until she could find the time to return it to storage. At least she thought it was empty. When she went to stow it away, it seemed a little heavy."

Catherine nodded in understanding. "Ah. Must have been a big-ass suitcase. So have you ID-ed the body?"

"I'm just heading to check with Det.Vartan right now."

Catherine nodded again and started to continue down the hallway. "Cool. Well, good luck with it. We'll see ya later."

She caught Sara smiling at Nick as she passed, and he grinned slightly in response, but neither of them spoke. As they rounded the corner, Catherine looked at Sara closely.

"So, what's up with you two?"

Sara frowned. "What do you mean?"

Catherine smirked. "You and Nick. You've both been acting weird since this morning. Something going on?"

Sara frowned deeper, unaware that someone had caught her out. She ignored the brief twitch of discomfort that swelled in her chest and spoke calmly. "I can't speak for Nick, but I for one am not acting weird. I think you must be seeing things, Catherine."

She looked unconvinced. "_Mmmm hmmmm_. Didn't you two have some big plans after your last shift, as I recall? Something top secret?"

Sara chuckled in what she hoped was an off-the-cuff manner. "Yeah, we did. And we went hand-gliding actually." She smiled now, adding the extra component so that Catherine couldn't read anything extra into that either. "With Nick's friend Keith. Then we all went out last night. And that's the whole story. Nothing weird about it."

The older woman was still eyeing her speculatively. "Riiiight." She looked even closer at Sara and it was all she could do not to squirm under the scrutiny. "So what's with this new sparkle in your eye, Miss Sidle?"

Sara's brows went up, and she tripped over her tongue as she attempted to deny it. "Spa... Sparkle? I...Uh... I don't know what you're-"

"So what's this Keith like? Is he as good looking as Nicky?"

This time Sara was speechless. And her uncomfortable blush was all the other woman needed to see.

"Ah hah! I knew it. Sara Sidle's found herself a new man." She grinned at Sara knowingly. "You hooked up with Nick's friend?"

Sara grinned in embarrassment. "Cath, I..."

"Don't worry Sara. I won't press the issue. I know how you like your privacy." She patted the brunette on the shoulder in understanding. "I just had to make sure. For a minute there I thought something had happened between you and Nick or something." She laughed as if the idea was outrageous. "Crazy, huh?"

Sara's stomach turned a bit at the other woman's clear distaste at the thought of she and Nick being anything other than just friends and co-workers. She tried to brush it off, but her own laughter sounded a little sickly even to her own ears.

"Yeah, you uh... You have an active imagination there, Catherine."

Catherine continued down the hall and disappeared into one of the labs. After a moments hesitation, Sara took a deep breath and followed her.

* * *

"Hey man... Just thought I'd check in, see how you're doing? I didn't catch you sleeping did I?" Keith sounded annoyingly chipper and Nick bit back a sour response.

"No, man. I haven't gone to bed yet. What's up?"

"Ah, I was just thinking maybe you'd be up for some para-sailing on your days off this week?"

"I thought you preffered hand-gliding, bro. Less work on those wussy arm muscles of yours."

Keith snorted. "Yeah, whatever man. So, you want to do it or what?"

Nick frowned, and as much as he didn't want to broach the subject, a part of him needed to know. "What... You're not going to spend all your free time working your moves on Sara?" He hated how snide he sounded to his own ears, but Keith didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, don't you worry. We're going out for dinner on Friday night actually."

Nick's heart sank. "Oh yeah? Cool. So I guess everything went... ah, OK last night?" Again, he almost hoped Keith wouldn't reply, and his friend just about answered his prayers.

"Hey, you know a gentleman never kisses and tells..." Nick hadn't thought it possible, but his heart sank even further. Keith continued. "But don't worry about your friend, buddy. I really was a gentleman. A simple kiss goodnight and she sent me on my merry way."

Nick was holding his breath now. "Really? You didn't even go inside?"

"Nope. And not from a lack of trying..."

Nick laughed softly, surprised once more at the intensity of the relief that rolled through him. "Sooooo... She shot you down, huh?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, man. After all, I'm taking her to dinner. We're just taking things slow." He ginned into the phone and Nick could visualize his white teeth taking over his expression. "And I for one find that refreshing in a woman these days."

Once again, Nick wanted to groan, but he held back. "Well, you embrace that, man. It's probably the best you're gonna get in the end." At least that was what he was hoping.

Keith laughed on the other end. "Look, are you up for some para-sailing or what?"

* * *

Nick somehow managed to finish out the week with minimal interaction with Sara, and he figured it was for the best. He should probably keep his distance until he got over this sudden infatuation.

He sat down in front of his locker and changed out of his work shoes, then stood up and pulled his shirt over his head. He was still buried in the shirt when he heard someone clear their throat. He yanked it the rest of the way off and was surprised to see Sara standing there.

"Sara... I thought you were gone."

She opened her locker quickly, trying to avoid being mesmerized by the lean, muscular plains of his bare torso.

"Um, yeah... I did. I... I forgot my car keys."

Nick nodded and played with his watch idly. Sara grinned awkwardly.

"Uh, Nick?"

His heart beat a little faster. "Yeah?"

She licked her lips without realizing it. "You... Uh... You going outside dressed like that?" A slight tinge of colour crossed her cheeks and he looked down, embarrassed.

"Oh yeah... _Heh_. Might get a few funny looks in the hallway, huh?" He grinned sheepishly and grabbed a t-shirt out of his locker. Sara closed her own locker up again as he pulled it over his head.

_Man, I'll say_...

"Well, I guess I'll see ya..."

She started to move away, but she paused. Something had been troubling her all week. Well, actually, _two_ things had been troubling her.

First, there was this sudden unexplainable crush on Nick. She'd convinced herself it was just the excitement of the day, or something in the air... or basically anything but a real attraction. She'd hoped the promise of her impending date with Keith and the passage of a week would have brought her to her senses, but neither had. And if anything, this strange desire had only gotten worse, despite the fact that she'd barely seen Nick all week.

Which brought her to dilemma number two:

_Is Nick avoiding me_?

They'd both been heavily involved in separate D.B. cases that week, so it wasn't totally inconceivable that they wouldn't have crossed paths much , but still... Usually they would have had _some_ overlap in the labs at least. Which begged the question, if Nick was avoiding her on purpose, was it because he'd figured out the truth? Had she given herself away somehow?

_Maybe when we were dancing_...

She squared her shoulders and turned around to find Nick still watching her. He smiled kindly. "You forget something else?"

"Yeah. I mean... No. Actually, I just... I wanted to ask you something."

He watched her intently, brows raised slightly in question. "Yeah? What's up?"

She gnawed on her lip for a second and then took the direct route like she always did. "Nick, have you, um... Have you been avoiding me?"

Shock rippled through his veins. "Uh, what? _Avoiding_ you?" He didn't know what to say.

_Damn, we've both been so busy this week, I was hoping she wouldn't notice_.

"Yeah, I... Well, it just seems like you've been making yourself scarce since the other night when we... When we all went out. I was just worried that I..." She grinned nervously. "Nick, did I do something wrong, or something that pissed you off? Because if I did I-"

"Whoh, Whoh there, Sara." Nick stepped closer and shook his head slowly. "You didn't do anything wrong and I haven't been avoiding you, honestly." He shrugged. "It's just been a busy week, you know? I mean, you've been as busy as me, so..." He smiled gently.

She pursed her lips, half-smiling. "Are you sure? Because, honestly-"

"I'm sure, Sara. Seriously." He put his hands on her arms, frowning lightly. "What brought this on, huh?"

She felt a small pleasure at his touch on her bare arms but quickly stifled it. She blew out a small stream of air. "Man, I don't know... I guess... Well, I really had a lot of fun the other day Nick, and I..." She looked at him shyly. "I guess I still worry too much about things. I don't know." She turned away and Nick immediately missed the contact.

He frowned some more at her back, guessing the real reason for her case of the nerves. He decided to be as direct as she'd been. "Or maybe..." He waited as she turned back around to face him again. "Or maybe you're just a little nervous about your big date tonight.

It was Sara's turn to feel surprised.

_Well, I guess he's been talking to Keith_...

She wasn't going to make anything more of it, but then she noticed that the small smile on Nick's face didn't quite reach his eyes.

_Is he unhappy about my date with Keith_?

Sara felt her mouth go dry. "Nick, uh..." She cleared her throat. "Are you... Do you have a problem with me going on a date with your friend?"

Now Nick's mouth went dry. "What? Uh, no... No, not at all."

That had sounded unconvincing even to himself.

_Shit_. _I think I'm busted here_.

And he was right: Sara wasn't buying it. But not in the way that he thought

"C'mon Nick. I think I've developed my lie detector pretty well over the years. Clearly you have a problem with me going on this date." Her eyes were a little brighter than normal and she crossed her arms over her chest. She was confused by his reaction, and as she began to figure out what was going on, she felt her heart withering inside her chest.

"Sara I-"

"Right, Nick. I get it. Obviously you don't want me to go out with Keith. I don't know if it's because I'm crossing some line between your work and personal life or..." She swallowed heavily. "... Or maybe you think I'm not right for him... I'm not good enough for one of your friends."

Nick looked aghast at this last statement. "God, Sara... That's _not_-"

"No, Nick... Nevermind. I never should have invaded your life like this. God knows you have enough friends without me cramping your style. I should never have asked you to do something that day. Man, I was so stupid..."

Nick felt as if she'd slapped him. "Whoh now. Just hold on. You're putting words in my mouth now, and you're totally off base here. I said nothing about having a problem with this date." He moved towards her again, but she raised her hands in front of her to ward him off. His stomach dropped when he saw tears glistening in her eyes. She wasn't shouting, but her tone sounded angry. And _hurt_.

_You just had to ask her, didn't you_...?

His nerve_s _stretched tight as she continued and he silently cursed himself for hurting her, even if it had been inadvertently.

"You didn't have to say anything Nick. You _have_ been avoiding me this week. I haven't been imagining it at all, have I? And now I know why. I could see it clear as day in your eyes just a minute ago." She started to back out of the room.

"Sara! Come on. You're not lis-"

"No, Nick. _You_ listen. I'm not that desperate for dates. I don't _need_ to go out with one of your precious friends." She swiped angrily at a tear that threatened to fall and reveal her weakness. "But you know what? I happen to like Keith, and I'm going out with him whether you like it or not."

She turned and stormed angrily out the door and Nick moved to follow her, almost running into Warrick as he entered the locker room. Warrick put his hands on Nick's shoulders to stop the collision.

"Hey now- easy! Where's the sale?"

When Nick made to keep moving down the hall, Warrick held him back. "Hey, hold on man... Grissom needs you before you cut out. Said it's important."

Nick hesitated, desperately wanting to clear the air with Sara but knowing that even if he did catch up with her she probably wouldn't be interested in hearing him out anyway. Maybe he should just wait until she calmed down...

He exhaled noisily and Warrick eyed him curiously, noting the strained expression on his friend's face.

"Lucky I caught you, since you seem like you're heading somewhere in a hurry... What's up, man?"

Nick shook his head sadly as he slowly moved down the hall towards Grissom's offiice. "Damned if I know, Warrick. Damned if I know."


	8. Chapter 8

Sara tried her hardest to concentrate on the words of the handsome man sitting across the dining table from her, but her mind kept drifting back to pondering the train wreck that her day had turned into.

When she'd gotten home after shift, her phone had already been ringing. She'd been about to pick it up, her mind still reeling from the blow she'd taken earlier.

_I can't believe I was falling for that guy_...

She'd stopped her hand just above the receiver, realizing who it would probably be.

_How could I have been so stupid_? _He was obviously just taking pity on me or something, otherwise he never would have let me tag along_.

She'd seen the people he hung out with: The beautiful people. As much as she liked Lynn, the woman was gorgeous... What did she have in common with people like that? And it was no wonder Nick was still attracted to her.

_Who was I kidding?_ _I have nothing in common with any of these people_. _Including Nick, judging by his reaction earlier_.

And she had realized that Nick had quickly become the last person on earth she wanted to talk to. She'd let the phone ring out and walked towards her kitchen.

The ringing had continued sporadically throughout the day, but no voicemail was left.She had finally been convinced it was Nick after the calls had stopped coming around the time she usually went to sleep. His routine was probably not unlike hers.

But she hadn't found sleep easily.

She had rolled onto her stomach and forced her face into her pillow, letting out an angry cry.

He'd denied it of course, but Sara had seen it as plain as day in Nick's eyes: He didn't want her going out with his friend. And it cut her to the quick, the thought that she was good enough to work with, but not good enough for his friends.

Her distress had almost been enough to make her call off the date with Keith, but she'd refused to let it get to her.

"Sara?"

She snapped back into reality and looked at Keith, embarrassed that she hadn't been listening to him, lost in her own thoughts.

"I'm sorry... What was that?"

He grinned. "I said I hope my company isn't what's putting that frown on your face."

Sara smiled apologetically. "Oh... No, of course not. I'm sorry, Keith. I was just thinking about... something that happened at work today." She shook her head slightly. "Sometimes it's hard to turn it off, you know?"

It was usually the truth... It just didn't happen to be the case this time. She felt a little guilty when he nodded with understanding.

"That's OK. I know you have a particularly tough job. I mean, the stuff you must see..." He shook his head in mild wonder. "I don't know how you guys do it, seriously. I've seen it hit Nick pretty hard a few times and I don't think I could handle it."

Sara was annoyed to find herself feeling a sliver of sympathy for her colleague and she was suddenly eager to change the subject. "Yeah, well... I'm sure your job has its ups and downs too. So, what exactly do you do for the casinos anyway? What sort of accounting?"

He laughed self-consciously. "Well, um... I keep trying to convince people that accountants aren't boring, but it's not easy. I have years of stereotypes getting in the way,"

Sara laughed. "You're not boring Keith, I swear. What sort of stuff do you look after?"

Keith launched into an animated dialogue about his career and Sara was impressed that he loved his job so much. She didn't know many people that felt that way, but she knew she was one of them as well, as were most of the people she worked with.

Keith had been right: The criminalist's job wasn't for everybody. But at the same time, a job like theirs was unexpectedly rewarding by times; there was a certain "high" about finding justice for people. And all her colleagues had experienced it. Take that case a few months back that she and Nick had-

_Nick_.

Her mind strayed back to the voicemail Nick had finally left her at the end of the day. She'd been about to leave for her date and she'd noticed her message light flashing.

_He must have called again when I was in the shower_.

She'd almost ignored it and headed straight out the door, but her curiosity got the better of her.

_"Sara, I don't know what happened earlier, but somehow I've hurt you and_... _Well, I just want you to know that that's the last thing in the world I ever wanted to do_. _I really care about you, and I'm sorry if I gave you any reason to think you're not good enough to date one of my friends_. _Nothing could be further from the truth, I promise you_. _In fact, I'm more concerned about whether Keith is good enough for you_..._ I mean, you have to know I'd never think that_... _I_... _I even wanted to set you up with another friend of mine a couple years ago, remember?"_

Sara thought his voice sounded defensive and maybe a little... What? Wounded, maybe? She leaned against the wall as she heard him sigh heavily into the phone and then continue. _"Well, anyway_...

_Keith is a good guy, and I really do hope you have a good time tonight_. _I'll try and call again tomorrow, I guess_. _Have a great night Sara_. _You deserve it_.

She'd been more confused than ever after that. He'd sounded so sincere. Had she jumped to the wrong conclusions after all? But that look in his eyes earlier...

She'd literally shaken her head in an attempt to clear her head of the confusion.

_I have a date in a little while_. _Concentrate on that_.

Shifting gears again, Sara came back to the present and realized she had once again spaced out on Keith. She smiled awkwardly at the amused, patient look he was favouring her with.

"Oh god... I'm sorry Keith. What were you saying?"

* * *

"So, you have any plans tonight buddy? I thought maybe we'd try a repeater of last week." Keith was pulling off his para- sailing gloves and smiling at Nick.

"Ah, I'm gonna have to take a pass, buddy. I think I need a quiet one at home."

"C'mon, Nick... Last week I realized how much fun we used to have out on the town. You can't quit on me now."

Nick grinned uncomfortably and rubbed the back of his neck. "Truth is, I don't want to be a fifth wheel, man. It's just not really my style."

Keith leaned back against Nick's SUV and smirked. "Well... That wouldn't be the case, actually..." Nick looked at him curiously and he continued. "You see... Your friend decided she just wanted to be friends in the end."

Nick was shocked but attempted to hide it. "What? Are you saying Sara... ?"

"She just wasn't interested in me. _Me_. Can you believe it?" He laughed at his own joke, but Nick was too surprised to take the bait. A million thoughts were suddenly racing through his mind.

Sara wasn't interested in Keith after all? She'd seemed interested enough the other night... What had changed? Did this have anything to do with the argument they'd had yesterday?

"Yeah, it was all very amicable and civilized. I even invited her to join us today, but she said she had other plans."

Nick's spirits sank.

_She's probably still mad at me_. _I'm the last person she'd want to spend the day with_.

"So, anyway...You sure you don't want to go out tonight? Just the guys on the prowl like the good old days?"

"Ah, no man. I'm sure. Picking up strangers in bars doesn't hold the same appeal as it used to."

Keith sighed dramatically. "Nicky boy, you're forgetting all the high-jinx we used to get up to-"

"Yeah, well I once found it amusing to have to carry a trout around in my pants for a week too but times have changed, man."

Keith laughed heartily and Nick joined him. "Yeah, that was interesting. And man, did you _stink_." Keith sniffed the air. "And you don't smell much better now, my friend!"

Nick laughed some more. "You don't exactly smell pine-scented either, bro." He grinned as Keith turned to go to his own vehicle and Nick called out to his retreating back. "Smell ya later!"

Keith laughed and Nick started his engine up. Paranoid, he smelled under his arms to make sure Keith had just been kidding.

* * *

Sara flicked through channels on her TV and sighed.

_I'm so bored_.

She looked towards the kitchen wondering if she had any junk food to eat. Frowning, she turned back to the TV. She'd never really had to worry about her weight growing up, but she knew as she got older it would be easier to start putting on the pounds. And eating out of boredom was a bad habit to start.

She sighed again louder.

_Ah, who am I kidding? I'm not bored_. _I'm_...

Her therapy had helped her to try to be honest with herself. And this time she knew the truth.

_You're lonely, Sara Sidle_._ And you know what the cure is_. _Or _who_ it is_.

It had become painfully obvious to her last night that she just wasn't interested in Keith. At least not _that_ way. He was nice, smart and really good looking but there'd been no spark. Not like...

_Not like with Nick_.

All he'd had to do was touch her and...

_Arggggggggg_.

She wrapped her arms around herself and looked towards the kitchen again.

_I think I saw some chocolate chip cookies_...

* * *

Nick stared at himself in the mirror as he shaved.

_Sara's not interested in Keith_.

He'd already spent his entire shower with the same thoughts running through his brain.

_She's not dating Keith_. _She's not dating anyone_.

He wiped the last of the shaving cream off his face and regarded his reflection closely.

_So now what, Stokes?_

He frowned deeply. Yeah, maybe she was still available but just because she wasn't dating anyone didn't necessarily mean she would be interested in him. And the fact of the matter was, she wasn't even talking to him right now.

He moved into his bedroom and pulled on a pair of cargo pants. As he pulled on a dark shirt, he breathed deeply.

_I could go over there and_...

He furrowed his brow in thought. If he went over there and told her how he felt, what was he hoping to gain?

That she'd admit to feeling the same way and then throw herself into his arms? Then what?

_OK_. _Say by some million-to-one chance she turns out to be interested in me too_... _How would something like that go over at work_?

There was no policy in place that said inter-office dating was a no-no, but it probably wouldn't be looked upon very favourably either. Especially when it involved two people who worked so closely together. Grissom in particular would probably be less than impressed.

Nick and the others had always noted an unusal vibe between Sara and Grissom in the past, but the dynamic had seemed to have changed over the last year or so. They'd all come to the conclusion that a move must have been made by _someone _but had been shot down by the other side.

Judging by Sara's everchanging moods, he'd assumed she'd been the one to be turned down. But even so, Grissom was more over-protective of Sara than the rest of them. He probably wouldn't see her dating a reknowned ladies' man as a good thing, (whether that reputation was deserved or not) and a co-worker on top of that...

Man, it was all so complicated.

Then he almost laughed out loud at how unlikely it was that he'd even have to worry about attempting an office romance anyway. Especially since it seemed that the woman in question wasn't even talking to him in the first place.

He began to scowl as he remembered how hurt she'd looked yesterday.

How could she ever think _he'd_ believe she wasn't good enough for his friends? As much as he felt anguished that she was in pain, he was still smarting himself from the fact that she thought so little of him.

He scratched his head and stared at the floor.

_C'mon man_._ She was probably just lashing out because she felt hurt_.

At this thought he shook his head once more, still unable to pinpoint exactly what he'd done to lead her to her misdirected conclusions.

_What made her react that way_? _I really don't think I_...

He groaned out loud in frustration as he stood up and made his way towards the living room. He'd been over it and over it, but he still felt like a man lost in the woods.

* * *

Totally uninterested in anything on TV, Sara flicked it off.

_That's it_. _I need_... _a book_._ I'm going to the book store_.

She hopped in the shower first, hoping the falling water would soothe her aching brain, but all it did was make her more aware of the sensitivity of her own skin, and left her aching for a familiar touch...

She quickly finished off and roughly towel-dried her hair, wanting it all to just _go away_; the disappointment, the hurt... the longing.

She'd just pulled on a pair of jeans and an old, worn t-shirt when her doorbell sounded. Almost without thinking, she made her way to the door, then paused as she considered who was probably standing on the other side. She was still questioning whether she should risk looking through the eye-hole when she was startled by a sudden knock. A familiar voice called out:

"Sara, I know you're there. I heard you approaching the door." There was a short pause, then he went on. "C'mon, Sar. Please... Let me in. We need to talk."

Sara bit her lip painfully and tried to think of one reason why she should open the door.

"Sara? Please. Don't make me do this through the door."

She couldn't think of one reason... She thought of_ two_.

The first: As a criminalist, she always needed to know the reason _why_, no matter how irrelevent Grissom thought it was. It was the one thing she and Catherine agreed on. She needed to know why Nick had obviously been uncomfortable with her going out with Keith, even if she was hurt by the answer. She had to know the truth.

And the second reason was the one thing she already knew, something she had already seen plenty of evidence of over the last five years: Nick had always been there for her. He'd always been the one person who'd taken the time to ask her "What's up?" whenever she'd seemed out of sorts, even if she hadn't always been the most appreciative of his concern. For that, she owed him the simple courtesy of letting him explain his side of things.

And now she was, for possibly the first time ever in her overachiever-styled life, hoping that she had made a mistake and misread Nick yesterday. And her heart seemed to be hoping for it too as it pounded heavily in her chest.

She swallowed nervously and opened the door.


	9. Chapter 9

Nick was just about to knock again when the door opened slowly in front of him.

Sara stood staring back at him, a slight crease in her brow the only indicator of her discomfort. But for some reason, Nick thought she looked even more beautiful than ever. Once again, this was a different woman from the one he saw at work. Sara Sidle, _CSI_, was a confident and determined colleague who was always willing to go the distance to get that crucial piece of evidence.

Despite the usual intelligence shining in her eyes, this woman looked a bit vulnerable; less secure in herself. And her appearance that day made her look somehow even younger than usual, intensifying that impression of fragility.

She'd been wearing her hair a bit longer lately, and right now it was damp and starting to curl slightly as it dried in the air. She had on only the barest hint of eye make-up, and was wearing a faded red and white t-shirt that clung to her slender form. A pair of worn jeans that sat attractively low on her narrow hips completed the ensemble.

The whole effect was strangely beguiling, and Nick sucked in a small breath.

He smiled tentatively, but her expression didn't change as she moved back slightly, wordlessly indicating that he should enter her apartment. He sighed quietly as he walked past her and stood at the edge of her living room.

Sara shut the door and then tried to steel herself mentally before she turned around.Working hard at keeping an emotionless expression on her face, she slowly moved to face the man who'd had her in turmoil for the past week. He was standing there looking back at her, equally difficult to read.

Nick watched as she tried to present a calm, vaguely impatient appearance, but her eyes seemed to be telling him a different story. As if sensing that she was betraying herself, she looked away impatiently.

She took a deep breath and slowly released it. "So... _Talk_, Nick."

Frowning at her directness, he shook his head almost imperceptively. As much as he wanted to set things straight with her, he didn't know where to start.

"Sara, I..."

She pursed her lips and leaned against her counter. She was feeling her heart thudding uncomfortably in her chest as she looked into his warm brown eyes and fought back the rise of some unwanted desires...She couldn't help but notice how lean, athletic and handsome he looked in cargo pants and a close fitting navy t-shirt. She concentrated hard on ignoring her urges and almost succeeded. _Almost_.

_Why does he have to be so damned good looking_?

She managed to raise her brows questioningly at him, as if to say "_Yes_?" She wasn't feeling overly confident in her vocal cords just then.

Once again, he followed suit and went straight to the issue at hand. "Sara, I know you think I didn't want you to go out with Keith..." He ran his fingers back through his hair nervously.

_Man, can I do this_?

Sara was still regarding him warily, but when he stared harder into her eyes he caught the hurt that lay behind the defiance. And he knew that sacrificing his own pride was a small price to pay to take away that hurt.

He was still formulating his approach when she started to speak.

"Nick, I saw the look in your eyes yesterday. I'm not blind."

She'd wanted to just stay quiet, let him do the talking. But being near him again was making her feel unsettled and she found herself speaking her mind once more in an attempt to regain her composure. "So don't stand there and try to tell me I was reading you wrong. I know what I saw."

He moved a little closer to her then, and she felt even more on edge. It was hard enough just having him in her apartment, let alone in such close proximity.

"_OK_... OK, the truth is, you're right. I... I didn't want you to go out with Keith."

A nervous flutter started in his stomach.

_There's no turning back now_.

Sara bit her lip, her heart sinking. She'd told herself she wanted to know the truth, no matter what. But now... A small pain sparked in her chest and she looked down at the floor.

"But Sara... It wasn't for the reason you think."

He'd spoken softly, and she looked up in surprise. Nick could see the confusion now mingled with the hurt behind her glance.

"Then what was it Nick?" She was still afraid to hear his answer, uncertain if she could handle any more disappointment right now. But she really did need to know. "Why didn't you want me to go out with him?"

He swallowed again and mustered up all the courage he had in him at the moment.

"It's because... I...I didn't like the idea of you dating anyone but _me_." He watched her carefully for a moment, and then his mouth twitched into a small smile.

"What?" She hadn't expected this. She was stunned.

_What's he saying_? _Does he mean_...?

Then she realized what was going on. She shook her head in amazement and stepped back from him a step.

"Nick, I can't believe you're making jokes at a time like this. I... I know you think I overreact about things sometimes but I'm not messing around here! It really hurt me that you didn't think I was good enough for Keith and if you think it's funny..." She broke off, trying to stifle the tears that threatened to fall.

Nick was thunderstruck. He hadn't known how she'd respond to his confession, but he hadn't thought it would be like this. She had turned away, but he grabbed her arms and looked her directly in the face.

"Sara, I'm not joking with you! I know I hurt you and I honestly didn't mean to...I didn't realize it was that obvious that I didn't want you to go out with..." He stopped suddenly and took a big breath.

"Look, I...I meant what I said. I _am_ attracted to you, Sara. And...and I was jealous; I don't want you to date other guys. I want you to..." He broke off again and one finger stroked her arm distractedly. "I was hoping you might feel the same way about me."

He continued to watch her, her face now clearly revealing her shock at this revelation. She seemed to be studying him, looking for signs that he was lying to her, and he considered the great job he'd done hiding his feelings that week.

_Man, I guess I'm not the open book everyone thinks I am_. _I sure had her fooled_.

He thought he saw the moment when comprehension finally dawned on her.

"You... You're not making this up?" She asked him quietly.

He shook his head fractionally, eyes never leaving hers. "No."

Her heart was kicking into overdrive and she wasn't completely sure if she was still breathing. Her skin sizzled where Nick's fingers caressed her. She wet her lips unconsciously and Nick's pulse throbbed as he watched.

"You... You're attracted... to _me_?" She was still unsure if she could believe this.

He nodded again, one side of his mouth quirking up into a tiny smile. "Yeah... Yeah, I am."

She couldn't take her eyes off him. "But... How?" She shook her head slightly. "_Why?_"

He laughed softly, amazed at her disbelief.

"_How_? I really don't know, Sara. It just... happened. Somehow this past week I started to see you a little differently, I guess." Then he ran a hand softly down her arm, watching its progress for a moment before looking back into her shocked eyes. "And as for _why_..." He tilted his head slightly as he smiled a little wider.

"Why _not_? I mean, you're an intelligent, interesting woman... not to mention beautiful." He saw her eyes widen, and he reached up to stroke her cheek tenderly. "You _are_ beautiful, you know. That's one thing I've _always_ noticed."

She was absolutely floored. She tried to speak even though she couldn't find any words. "You... You think..." He watched her throat moving with the effort and grinned some more. "Nick... I..."

He watched her face hopefully. "Yes?"

She looked down, and he tilted his head again to follow her eyes. He urged her chin gently back up. "Sara?"

She let out a breathy stream of air. "I... Nick, I don't know what to say."

He felt his nerves kick in as he noted the confused look in her eyes. His own disappointment followed shortly thereafter.

_Well, the cat's out of the bag_. _Nothing I can do about it now_. _And I'm thinking she doesn't feel the same way_...

But even though things were obviously not going to go the way he'd hoped, he still didn't regret telling her the truth. It was worth seeing the look of hurt disappear from her eyes.

He smiled softly again, realizing he'd better let her off the hook and tell her it was alright if she didn't feel the same way. But she interrupted his thoughts.

"I... I'm scared, Nick." She seemed to be searching his eyes, and he frowned slightly.

"Sar, you don't have to worry. It's alright if you don't feel the same way. I... I understand. I just thought you should know the truth..."

This time it was Sara who smiled. "That's not why I'm scared, Nick. I... Well, it's just that we... I've known you for years and... we're... we're friends..." She sighed, frustrated at not being able to articulate what she really wanted to say.

"Sara, it's OK.We can still be friends. I -"

She shook her head, trying to sort herself out. "No, Nick... I... I'm scared because... because I _do _feel the same way." She smiled more shyly.

"I... I want to be with you, too."


	10. Chapter 10

_**A.N**_: OK, I'm really, really REALLY sorry this has taken so long to write. In my own defense, I started working this week and I was exhausted every day when I got home. I barely had enough energy to read emails, I swear!

Damn, you people are quick with the reviews! Thanks for all the positive comments; you're all too kind, seriously. And yes, ILoveGeorge, I'm liking season 5 a lot! Now, shouldn't you get back to your own writing, young lady:)

* * *

Nick's breath left him.

"I... You... You do?"

His hand had stopped stroking her cheek and moved down to lightly grip her shoulder. "Are we talking about the same thing here?" He couldn't move for a second as he stared into her eyes. "Are you saying you're attracted to me too, Sara?"

She felt a blush creep up her cheeks as she nodded, still smiling. "Yeah... I am. I'm...Uh... _very_ attracted to you, actually..."

She decided to continue with the honest approach and she pulled away from his arms and put her hand on the back of her neck. She tilted her head and looked at him sheepishly. "I think it started that day we went hand-gliding..."

He was amazed again. "Hand-gliding? But...What about Keith? I mean, that day I thought..."

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess... Well, the attention was nice but..." She pursed her lips in a self-effacing smile. "I couldn't stop thinking about you. That's why... Uh, that's why I told him I just wanted to be friends."

His mouth quirked into a smile. "Really?"

She kept her distance, nodding. "Yeah, really."

He moved a little closer. "Why didn't you say anything?"

She smirked back. "Why didn't _you_?"

He laughed lightly. "Because we've flirted for years, but you never seemed particularly interested in me. In fact..." He moved within inches of her now. "I didn't think I was your type."

She nodded. "Yeah, me too. Exactly." She felt a shiver as she noted his close proximity once more.

"So... Are you saying I _am_ your type?" He reached out a hand and slid his fingers slowly up her arm towards her shoulder once more. She fought back a shudder and laughed nervously.

"Uh... Only if you're saying I'm _your_ type."

He laughed again and moved even closer, his hand sliding up her other arm. She couldn't hide the tremor this time and she smiled guiltily. He leaned his face closer, his eyes on hers. "You're my type, Sara. You're definitely my type."

Then he looked at her with speculation. "So... What do we do now?"

His face was so close now, she could feel his breath on her cheek. He smelled a bit like Juicy Fruit gum and she grinned a little more, partly from nervousness and partly in amusement.

He grinned back now too, catching the sparkle of humour in her eyes. "_What_?"

He played with a wisp of hair that hung close to her face and she swallowed slowly before replying.

"Uh... You smell like Juicy Fruit." She continued to smile and he laughed softly.

"Yeah, well... I guess I chew too much gum."

Her smile grew. "I like Juicy Fruit."

His eyebrow quirked up, as if she'd just given up a trade secret. "Oh yeah?"

She nodded fractionally, her mouth pursing into another secretive grin. "Uh huh."

"You want some?"

There seemed to be more than the offer of gum behind his proposition, and she found her throat constricting once again. She nodded awkwardly, her eyes riveted to his.

"Uh...ye...Yes, please."

Her hands were shaking with anticipation as he lowered his head, eyes flicking down to her lips. She wet them again nervously and he smiled gently... and then turned and started to reach into his pocket.

She was instantly disappointed and was unable to hide it as Nick returned his gaze to hers.

_Oh_._ I thought he was going to_...

Feeling first a ficker of excitement and then encouragement at the clearly dissatisfied look on her face, he held out his hands, palms up.

"Sorry, it looks like I'm all out. But if you really want a taste..." Sara inhaled a sharp breath as he moved his face slowly back towards hers, and Nick actually smiled as his mouth found hers.

She moaned softly at the press of his lips on hers, and a sensation that was not unlike lightning sped down her spine and out through her limbs. She clutched hungrily at his shirt and he increased the pressure, desperate to taste as much of her as he could. His hands went up to the back of her neck, sliding up through her damp hair. The kiss grew deeper still.

Sara found herself pressing harder against him, wanting to feel more of him... His hands moved down her back and she quivered as he pulled her even closer still. She slid her own hands down to Nick's lower back, and she felt another spark of fire lick through her as her fingers touched the skin underneath the bottom of his t-shirt.

Nick gasped into the kiss, and then slowly pulled back and looked at her. His hand ran back up to her cheek and he ran his thumb over her lower lip, his darkened eyes staring at it like a starving man. Then he spoke raggedly.

"Sara... I... We..." He trailed off as she kissed the pad of his thumb and then smiled at him timidly. She was so nervous she thought she might jump out of her skin. But from the moment his lips touched hers, she knew what she wanted. She wanted him.

"What, Nick?" She fought back all the warnings in her mind that were telling her to play it safe and to pull back. She pushed her body a little closer to his again.

He was stunned at her bold moves... stunned and aroused. He gulped and ran his hands up her back. "Um... I..."

She began to smile with amusement, and he laughed softly. "Damn it, Sidle... I can't think straight when you're in my arms."

She attempted to smile confidently, but she was unsure if she pulled it off. "I... Well, who needs thinking right now anyway?"

He smirked, wanting to just take her advice and give in to his desires... But Sara meant too much to him to risk blowing it. He didn't want her to regret anything that happened between them.

"Sar... I think we should slow down here for a second." He continued to hold her, but he moved back slightly so he could see her face more clearly.

Seeing a look of rejection starting to build within her, he grabbed her hand when she would have completely moved from his arms.

"Hold on, Sara... No more misunderstandings, here." She looked back at him with guarded eyes and he smiled gently once more, stroking her cheek softly with one finger. "Don't start jumping to conclusions again, OK? Because if you're standing there thinking I don't want to throw you down on the floor and make love to you right now... Well, I'd have to say you couldn't possibly be more wrong."

Sara's shock was palpable. A blush rose to her cheeks and she started to smile awkardly again. But she didn't interrupt him. The truth was, she didn't have a clue as to how to respond to that, despite the fact that her body had reacted instantly with a warm fluttering in her lower stomach.

Nick kept speaking, despite his own flicker of arousal at her flushed face and sparkling eyes.

"The thing is... I really care about you, Sara.I don't want to... Uh, I mean..." He suddenly looked at her helplessly, and laughed in bemusement. "We seem to be heading kind of quickly into... well...unknown territory. And I guess I just don't want to rush you into something you're not ready for." He rubbed the back of her hand tenderly and gave her a crooked grin.

Her heart was filling her chest cavity, and she couldn't help but smile gratefully back at him. She'd always known he was thoughtful, but she'd never realized...

"Wow, I... Nick, I'm not even sure I deserve you... I mean I keep underestimating you, that much is clear." She looked uncertain again, and he couldn't help but feel even more protective of her. She looked so fragile again.

He held both her hands and watched her closely. "Darlin', I don't think it has anything to do with anyone being deserving or undeserving. I think it has to do with you having bad luck with your choices in men in the past." She looked a bit uncomfortable and he kept speaking before she could interrupt. "I... I want you to trust me... and I know that takes time, so-"

"Nick, I _do_ trust you." She smiled slightly. "And it _did_ take time. But I've had the better part of 5 years to develop it."

He felt another tremor in the region of his heart. "Yeah, but Sara... Work is one thing-"

"Nick, you care about people. You always try to make things easier for people, and you're the one everyone always feels comfortable around. And there's a reason for that: You're a good man." She squeezed his fingers in emphasis. "And I trust you completely."

"But Sara, this is different-"

"No, it's not. You're not some stranger I'm slowly becoming acquainted with. And I know that despite your past reputation as a ladies' man..." She grinned as he looked uncomfortable now. "I know that's not who you are now." She looked down at his fingers as she continued to hold his hand. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... I already _know _you, Nick. And I want to know you... _better_." She blushed even redder now, and Nick's heart was doing flip flops in his chest.

"Yeah?" He massaged her hands again, slowly moving in closer. Her heart sped up in response. She couldn't tear her eyes from his.

"Yeah." She moved nearer now too, and her chest brushed up against his. She saw the heat rebuilding in his eyes and ran a hand up to the back of his neck. "Nick... I..." She gulped and he watched her closely, totally mesmerized.

As his lips moved closer to hers, he asked once more. "Are you...Are you sure?"

She pressed her mouth to his in answer.

Nick groaned as she slid her hands under his shirt and up his back, grasping his shoulder blades for all she was worth. He pushed his hips closer to hers and felt his senses begin to overload at the taste of her, the scent of her, the feel... it all overwhelmed him and he blissfully let it all carry them both away.

* * *

Sara grinned like a kid on Christmas as she savoured the feel of the man nestled behind her, one arm curved around her from his spooned position.

They'd dropped to the living room floor and proceded to make slow, mind-blowing love for quite some time before retiring to the bedroom to start all over again. Sara was exhausted and exulted and happier than she could ever remember being before in her life. She listened to his quiet breathing behind her as he slept and she sighed with content

"You OK, Sara?" She jumped slightly at his quiet question.

_OK, so he's not asleep after all_.

She smiled wider and grabbed the hand that lay next to her chest, squeezing it softly. "I've never been better in my entire life, actually." He squeezed her fingers back and she slowly turned over. The smile she favoured him with sent his heartbeat into overdrive, and he felt himself smiling back broadly. Her pulse raced now too.

_My god, he's so handsome_.

She felt so giddy she almost giggled out loud. As it was, she blushed and Nick ran a finger over her pink cheek. "You embarrassed about something?" He grinned devilishly and she laughed.

"Well, after all the things we've done together today... I think it's a little late for embarrassment."

"Good. Because..." He ran a hand seductively down her side, enjoying a glimpse of the gentle curve of her breast under the sheet. "...You have nothing at all to be embarrassed about, _trust me_."

She snuggled in closer to him and kissed him tenderly. "I do trust you Nick."

He hugged her close, stroking her hair. "Good."

But then she started thinking again, unfortunately.

_Dammit, Sidle_... _Why do you always have to let your brain ruin things?_

But there was still something she was wondering about, and she knew it would continue to bug her until she knew for sure. And she really did trust Nick, so... She might as well just ask.

She cleared her throat a bit as she snuggled into his neck. "Um...Nick?"

"Yeah?" He kissed her hair.

"I was wondering...Uh...about you and... ah, Lynn."

He frowned. "Lynn? What about her?" He started to shift so he could see her face again.

She smirked uncomfortably. "Well...Uh..." He continued to wait, watching her closely and she felt even more awkward. "I... Well, are you still sort of interested in her? Because if you are, well... I guess that's fine, but I... I don't really date guys who are-"

"Sara, hold up... What are you talking about? Where's this coming from all of a sudden?"

"Uh... I know you two used to date-"

"Yeah, like _five_ years ago. And even then it was only for a month."

"Oh...Uh..." She smiled again, suddenly unsure of herself.

He looked at her with one brow quirked in question, grinning at her discomfort. "_Yes_?"

"I...Well, when we were at the bar last week. When... When you and I were dancing... You looked unhappy all of a sudden after you saw her talking with Keith. And I assumed... Well I figured you were jealous."

He caressed her shoulder, still grinning. "Ah. I see. You thought I was upset with Keith for being with my girl?"

She nodded, smirking. He laughed and moved his face closer to hers. "Ah, Sara... Can't ever turn off those investigative skills, huh?"

She laughed lightly, but it was a bit forced.

"Sara... the truth is, you're absolutely right. I _was_ jealous of Keith at that moment." He watched as her brow furrowed slightly, then went on. "But you had the _wrong_ girl as the cause."

She felt pleasantly surprised, and then he leaned in to kiss her again and her body began to respond immediately. He drew back, smiling at her kindly.

"See, I knew I was going to have to let you go again when he came back, and I really didn't want to..." He slid his hand down her arm again while he stared into her eyes. "Up until that dance, I thought I was just imagining my attraction to you. But then, I held you in my arms, and you put your head on my shoulder..." He ran a finger up her neck and across her jaw line. "... And I was sunk."

She smiled shyly. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah, really. So, I was a little bummed when I saw that Keith was back. I didn't want to give you up."

The relief washing through her with every word he spoke was causing her to warm up. She breathed out a soft breath. "Oh. OK then. That's...Uh... _good_."

He laughed and she joined him, both of them amused at her talent for understatement. Nick continued to stroke her skin gently and she wanted to purr with delight. Then he looked at her more seriously.

"Um...Since we're trying to be up front about things...I have a question for you too, Sara.

Goosebumps broke out across her skin. "Oh...OK."

He kept his eyes on hers. "Are you over Grissom?"

He almost laughed at the look of surprise on her face, but he squelched it. He really needed an answer to that question.

"Uh... But I-"

"Sara... We're paid to be observant. Everybody knows you've had a thing for him these last few years."

She wasn't sure what to say. She'd denied it to herself for long enough before actually getting up the courage to ask him out. And the little jokes from both Warrick and Nick... They'd obviously seen it all along, whether she wanted to admit it or not. And even though Grissom had said no to her, she'd still held onto the hope that he might change his mind one day... Until she'd overheard him that day in the interrogation room and realized that even though he might have regretted his decision, his choice had definitely been made.

And it had taken her a while, but she realized that _yes,_ she was over Grissom. In fact, right now the only person she could imagine being with was the amazing guy laying next to her. It was her turn to run a finger down his face softly. She smiled.

"Yeah, Nick. Long ago."

She leaned in to kiss him softly and then hugged him to her, speaking quietly into his ear. "And there's only one man who I'd like to be with now... If he'll have me."

Nick groaned and pulled her tighter against him. "God, Sara... There's nobody I want to be with more."

She sighed in his embrace and kissed his neck again and again. "Me too, Nick. _Me too_." She moved back once more so she could see his face. "I...Uh... I don't know how it happened, but I seem to be crazy about you."

They both laughed and he smirked. "I'm pretty sure I know how it happened."

She raised a brow questioningly. "Oh yeah? How?"

"Well, the truth is... I'm irresistable. It was only a matter of time before you succumbed to my charms."

She burst out laughing and he joined her.

"Oh, is that right? So you're saying 5 years, give or take, is only a _matter of time?_ Maybe the charms are getting a little rusty..."

"Hey!" He tried to look outraged, but the amusement sparkled behind his eyes. She caressed his arm tenderly.

"Oh, Nick... I'm here with you now, aren't I? Rusty or not, the charms obviously work!"

She giggled as he squished her body to him, pretending to manhandle her. "And you better not forget it!"

They fake wrestled for a bit before falling apart laughing and exhausted. Sara snuggled into Nick's side as she contemplated finally getting some sleep. Nick massaged her back tenderly, kissing her forehead before yawning tiredly.

"You mind if I sleep here?" He mumbled into her temple.

She squeezed him closer."Just try and get away."

He chuckled and then sighed with content. He was on the verge of dozing off when he heard Sara's timid voice.

"Nick?"

"Yeah?" He massaged her back again in encouragement.

"Um... What about work? I mean, we... We..."

"Sar...It'll be fine. Don't worry. We're professionals."

"Yeah... I guess... But... We have to tell them. I don't want you to get in trouble."

He hugged her tighter, smiling at her concern for him. "_You'd_ get in trouble too, you know."

"Ah, that'd be nothing new." She laughed. "But... Well, I just don't want-"

"We'll tell them. I have nothing to hide. I'm crazy about you, and I don't care who knows it."

She was amazed at his bold statement and pushed away from him to rest on her elbows, staring down at him.

"Really?" The surprise registered on her face and he grinned, reaching up to push a strand of hair behind her ear.

"_Really_. Why? Do you want to keep it under wraps for now? I... I understand if you do."

She shook her head, still amazed. "_No_. No, I... Honestly, Nick... After today, I feel like shouting it from the rooftops!"

His heart swelled. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." She moved back down to rest on his chest once more, still gazing into his face. "I guess we'll just have to deal with things as they happen."

He smiled wider. "Sounds like a plan." He pulled her face back down to his, kissing her deeply. She felt him stirring beneath her and grinned into his mouth.

"_Hmmm_. I'm thinking I'm not going to get that nap after all."

He smiled, his hands stopping their downward slide on her back. "Well, I could stop if y-"

"No!" Then she giggled, running her hands over his chest longingly. "It's taken almost 5 years, Nick... I don't want to wait any more."

He smiled even more as he gazed into her sparkling eyes. "I hear _that_!"

He began to kiss her slowly and sensually once more, and her body responded immediately.

Sleep would have to wait.

**THE END**


End file.
